Senator
Ovie Omo-Agege, former Secretary to the State Government, Delta state is the
Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State. In this
interview, he maintained that the economic situation in the country would have
been worse than it is today had PDP remained in power. He says President
Muhammadu Buhari has done well in stabilising the country. He condemned the
activities of the Niger Delta Avengers and urged the government to do more to
lift the people of the Niger Delta out of poverty by adopting a framework that
will ensure a sustainable and mutually beneficial relationship between the government,
the international and indigenous oil companies and the communities, Ovasa Ogaga
presents the excerpts:
What
is your assessment of President Muhamadu Buhari performance in office?
President
Muhamadu Buhari was elected to change the course of a nation that was drifting
in the wrong path. Terrorists were moving freely within Nigeria and across
borders, claiming territories, causing mayhem and killing people. The economy
was deeply damaged by corruption and the biggest collapse in crude oil prices
and revenue.
To
deal with the security situation, government had to relocate the military
command and control centre to Maiduguri, build international coalitions and
equip the military. We have reclaimed most of the territories Boko Haram
occupied, including the sambisa forest, they are now unable to move freely and
threaten us, some of the chibok girls have been rescued, International
Displaced Persons are returning home, the borders and cities are no longer
easily accessible to terrorists. The truth is that we have succeeded in
degrading and decimating Boko Haram in a way we thought impossible and today we
are significantly safer than we were 15 months ago. I give the President a lot
of credit for the strategic decisions made to get us to this position of
relative security. Keeping our nation safe and defending its sovereignty is the
most important duty of a president. And on this, President Muhamadu Buhari has
delivered.
In
the area of corruption, it is very clear that the government has done very
well. Never in the history of Nigeria, has any government achieved what this
government has done. Before now, corruption was a way life. It’s hard to imagine how our country was
ripped off. People were just sharing our money.
But all that is changing. Huge amounts
have been recovered and counting.
The
economy has been more challenging to the government. As I said earlier, the
government inherited a deeply damaged economy that was on a free fall. The 2016 budget was designed to stabilise the
economy and lay a strong foundation for a diversified economy that will create
jobs for those who want to work and opportunities for those who want to set up
businesses. The removal of fuel subsidy and the introduction of flexible
exchange rate are policies that will help to stabilize the economy, so we can
begin the long road to recovery. Increased infrastructural spending in the budget
will help to diversify the economy. Overall the government has done well in
moving the country in the right direction.
Sir,
you appear to be overly optimistic about the economy. Many Nigerians are not.
They are blaming President Buhari for the bad shape of the economy. Some are
already expressing buyer’s remorse, saying that this was not the change they
voted for. Are you not unduly praising the government?
I
can tell you that most of those blaming the President for the hardship in the
land today did not vote for him in the first place, so they cannot be
expressing any buyer’s remorse.
Having
said that, I want to say that I understand that times are tough; food prices
have shot up, people are hurting, frustrated and angry over the economy. But
the truth must be told. The President inherited a mess and he is just cleaning
up the mess. The hardship we face today as a nation and individual was not
created by this government. The poor state of the economy is a direct result of
the mismanagement and mediocre performance of the past government. When
earnings from crude oil exports were high, the government did not save for the
rainy day and did not invest in infrastructure. Now the country is broke. No
electricity, no good roads, no good school and quality hospitals. The country
is in total mess which has been building for years. No one took steps to
diversify the economy while we were earning so much. It is impossible for anyone to repair the
damage done to the economy in just one year. Those who expected a quick fix
should have a rethink because there is none. It’s going to be a gradual painful
process.
Nigerians
need to be patient. If we persevere and remain steadfast, together we will lead
our country to peace and prosperity because the President has adopted an
approach that embodies the values and direction that Nigeria has to take to
achieve greatness. I don’t know what those who are expressing buyer’s remorse
want. Do they want us to continue the same old policies that got us here in the
first place? Or do they honestly think that the same people who destroyed the
economy would have fixed it? I seriously don’t think so. I have no doubt that
the looting would have continued and the economic situation would have been
worse than it is today.
As a Niger Deltan, what is your take on the
activities of the Niger Delta Avengers?
I am
a little curious about the timing of the emergence of the Niger Delta Avengers.
Why now? The Federal Government Amnesty
Program of 2009 was supposed to end the hostilities and it did. And when Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan, a Niger Deltan, became President in 2010, many applauded the
feat as the icing on the cake of the Niger Delta struggle. So what has changed?
What has this government done to warrant this senseless destruction of our
national assets? This nonsense must stop. There is no justification for it at
all.
Armed
struggle in the Niger Delta began with the Niger Delta Volunteer Force which
was formed by Isaac Boro, Sam Owonaru and Nottingham Dick to liberate the Ijaw
people from economic exploitation and political oppression. Other prominent
Niger-Deltans such as Ken Saro Wiwa adopted non violent means to continue the
struggle. There was the 1998 Kaima Declaration in the home town of Isaac Boro.
The struggle was all about the marginalization, oppression and exploitation of
the Niger Delta people and the degradation of the environment. That struggle
led to the 13% derivation fund, the establishment of the Niger Delta
Development Commission (NDDC) as an interventionist agency to develop the
region and the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta.
Urhobo
people played very significant roles in the Niger Delta struggle. Professors
Peter Ekeh, Bright Ekuehare, G. G. Darah gave credibility to the struggle
through their scholarly efforts. Urhobo youths also died in the course of the
armed struggle. But this struggle being waged by the Niger Delta Avengers is
not the struggle we the Urhobo people believe in. This is not the Niger Delta
struggle which Ken Saro Wiwa lived and died for. These renewed attacks on oil facilities are
unwarranted.
Nigeria
is passing through a most difficult period and we must all support the the
President who is trying to salvage the country. I have no doubt that President
Buhari means well for Niger Delta. He has started the clean-up of the Ogoni
land which the immediate past government failed to do. He has made provision in
this year’s budget for the construction of the Lagos-Calabar railway which will
transform the Niger Delta. If truly the Niger Delta Avengers are fighting for
the people of the region, they should embrace dialogue. We are in a democracy
and there is no need for violence. When a group decides it no longer wants to
debate and discuss its ideas and dialogue with government on their grievances,
but rather wants to blow up oil facilities of the country that further destroys
the environment, that is terrorism and it cannot and must not be tolerated by
the government.
Sir,
one of the demands of the militants is that the Federal Government drop charges
against former militant leaders and Niger Delta politicians accused of
corruption. It was even reported sometime ago that the governors of the states
of Niger Delta made the same demand when they met with Vice President Yemi
Osibanjo. What is your opinion on this?
Dropping
charges against those accused of corruption as a precondition for ending the
militancy is a non starter as far as I am concerned. It’s awful that our
governors would table such a request before the Vice President. If it’s true,
then it is extremely difficult not to believe that it is a plot to abort the
anti-corruption war of President Buhari. It’s shameful and disrespectful to the
people of the Niger Delta, including those who have lost their lives in the
struggle. It’s a terrible thing to do. It’s selfish and it introduces politics
into the struggle and that worries me greatly. We cannot let them undermine the
fight against corruption. If we do, the great promise of Nigeria will die. The
anarchists and those who don’t wish Nigeria well would have won. We must stand
firm against the evil minds in our midst.
As
Chief Executive Officers of their states, governors should take the lead in
tackling the problem. It appears they know those who are behind these bombings.
And if they do, they should stand up and stop it. It’s not enough for them to
act as intermediaries. They should deal with it. Otherwise, it will be assumed
that they are supporting the militants. The Federal government must not give in
to this blackmail. It is unacceptable for any group of people, no matter their
grievances, to hold the state to ransom for selfish reasons.
How
should the Federal Government handle the Niger Delta crisis?
Militant
attacks on oil facilities are threats to the nation’s survival. It’s an
economic war that poses serious threat to the economic growth, development and
stability of the country. We must take it very seriously. However, this crisis
can be resolved more through negotiation than by military action if all parties
act in good faith. It appears both parties are ready to dialogue. But while
government focuses on non-military means, all options should be on the table.
We should not rule out military action, especially now that the motive of the
Niger Delta Avengers is not very clear. Is this a genuine struggle for the
people of the Niger Delta without a hidden agenda? The timing of hostilities
makes me to doubt. But if it is and their motive is to solve the problems of
poverty and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta, then we can end the
crises without resort to military action.
In which case, a good faith negotiation by all parties and informed
participation of the leaders of the Niger Delta will produce a workable road
map out of the crisis. But if the motive is to stop the war against corruption,
then we are in a different territory all together. This nation cannot be a
hostage of terror.
Why
has previous efforts made to resolve the Niger Delta crisis failed to stop the
agitation?
If
Nigeria is prospering, Niger Delta which produces about 80 percent of the
wealth must have a fair share of that progress. But we are not. The 13 percent
allocation to the oil producing state is inadequate especially when you
consider that in the 1963 constitution, states got 50% of revenue from mineral
resources. In effect, what I am saying is that the previous efforts have been
grossly inadequate.
Also
the approach we adopted was wrong. Everything was centralized and the top –down
interventionist programs of the Niger Delta Development Commission and the
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs were rendered ineffective by the elites who
hijacked the benefits. The Amnesty
program failed because it was designed as a palliative measure to appease
former militants. Appeasement always
fails because it encourages re occurrence. You cannot remedy a problem without
tackling the root causes of the conflict. So, in going forward, what is germane
is to address the fundamental grievances of the Niger Delta people. And what
are these grievances?
Decades
of oil and gas exploration has messed up our environment and left us with poverty.
We have been carrying this burden alone. Now the people of the Niger Delta want
the Federal government to return more of the revenue generated from oil sales,
develop the region, end gas flaring, oil spills and clean-up the damage that
have been done to the environment. These are legitimate demands.
And
let me make it very clear that the grievances of the Niger Delta people do not
include ending the corruption war of the government. To the contrary, the
people of the Niger Delta want the anti-corruption war to be extended to the
Niger Delta states. The people want the state governments in Niger Delta to
account for the 13 percent derivation that has been appropriated to the
region. Asking the federal government to
drop charges against those accused of corruption is antithesis to our values.
Niger
Delta must be developed and the people lifted out of poverty. This is the only
way out of this conundrum. We can end
this crisis. The government can meet these demands. We must do this to isolate
the criminals who have hijacked the struggle. But to do so, we have to think
Nigeria first and stop looking at the issues through the prism of ethnicity,
regionalism, and north versus south, which have prevented us from addressing
the germane concerns of the people of Niger Delta. Until a way is found for the
people to benefit directly from the oil in their community and their lives made
better, there will always be agitation and armed struggle. To achieve this we
must adopt a bottom – up approach that focuses on the people and communities.
All
that said, a deal must consist of a framework that will ensure a sustainable
and mutually beneficial relationship between the government, the international
and indigenous oil companies and the communities.
So
what are the pre-requisites for enduring peace in Niger Delta?
First,
and above all, we need to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) speedily. A
PIB that include the Host Community Fund will douse the tension and put the
communities at the heart of resolution of this crisis. They will be responsible
for the security of the assets of the oil industry. The PIB also seek to
deregulate and liberalise the downstream sector of the industry, which when
fully implemented will transform the Niger Delta. So government should make the
removal of subsidies on petroleum products permanent and move quickly to
privatise the refineries. Functioning refineries will create wealth and jobs
for the people.
Second,
we need to enforce extant environmental laws on gas flaring, oil spills and
environmental degradation and compel the oil companies to obey them. Last year
alone, Shell and Eni admitted that over 550 oil spills occurred in the Niger
Delta. This cannot happen in the host countries of the international oil
companies. They dare not because they know the consequences. On average, only
10 spills occurred every year across Europe between 1971 and 2011. We cannot
let the IOCs mess up our environment and the lives of our people, while we look
the other way. Government must rise up to its responsibilities. Its time
government stood up to the IOCs and insist on full compliance with global
standards and best practices. This is the only way we can stop further damage
to the environment.
Third,
we need to clean up the entire Niger Delta and restore the aquatic life of the
creeks, swamp, fishing grounds and farmlands. While we appreciate the One
billion dollars clean-up plan for Ogoniland, it is essential that other areas
which have suffered similar shocking levels of pollution are cleaned-up as
well.
Fourth,
we need to refocus all existing interventionist programs. NDDC should get out
of the business of competing with local governments in the provision of bore
holes and focus on massive public works for infrastructural development that
will transform oil producing communities.
Fifth,
we need to tackle corruption in the Niger Delta. Though not enough resources
have been transferred to Niger Delta, we have cause to believe that a lot of
that money has gone into private pockets. A lot more development should have occurred,
but progress has been stifled by corruption. This needs to be addressed, as
part of the framework to solve the problem.
Lastly,
the government should reinstate the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko.
The scapping of this University is the only grievance you can pin on this
government. Though I appreciate the reasons given by the Minister of Transport,
Hon. Rotimi Amechi for the closure, I think the government should reconsider
its position and reinstate the university. The University is very important to
the people and the community of Okerenkoko and indeed the entire Niger Delta
people. It has become a symbol of the renewed militancy. Reopening the
university will douse tension in the region considerably.
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