January 20, 2010
Being a Communiqué’ Issued At The End Of An Emergency Meeting Held In Ugheli, Delta State On The 20th Day Of January 2010 @ 12:30 P.M. Nigerian Time.
The NIGER DELTA INTEGRITY GROUP (NDIG) held an emergency meeting at Ugheli, in Delta State on the 20th of January 2010 concerning matters of urgent importance in the Niger Delta Region. At the end of the meeting, the NDIG resolved as follows:
Being a Communiqué’ Issued At The End Of An Emergency Meeting Held In Ugheli, Delta State On The 20th Day Of January 2010 @ 12:30 P.M. Nigerian Time.
The NIGER DELTA INTEGRITY GROUP (NDIG) held an emergency meeting at Ugheli, in Delta State on the 20th of January 2010 concerning matters of urgent importance in the Niger Delta Region. At the end of the meeting, the NDIG resolved as follows:
1. That Nigeria stands the risk of a constitutional crisis owing to the prolonged absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. To prevent this impending crisis, the Group lends it voice to those calling for the immediate swearing-in of the Vice President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (GCON) as acting President. In our view, the lacuna created by the absence of President Yar’Adua will escalate tension, mistrust and unnecessary power tussle, which are inimical to good governance and the rule of law. The Group affirms the corporate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity, and holds the view that the stability of Nigeria transcends ethnic, religious and party barriers.
2. That the Federal Government should implement the Post-Amnesty programme in a sustainable and holistic manner without any further delay. The Group strongly believes that the relative peace the Niger Delta People savour now may soon be truncated by the non-implementation of the programme. There are already palpable fears that militancy is likely to rear its ugly head if the tempo of peace is not sustained. The implementation of the Post-Amnesty programme should go simultaneously with the implementation of the 25% derivation funds in our collective push towards an equitable fiscal federalism. The Post-Amnesty Programme should not be politicized.
3. The NDIG calls on the Federal Government to revive all the moribund industries in the Niger Delta Region and Support the establishment of new ones to create employment for the teeming unemployed youths in the Region. With specific reference to Bayelsa State, the Federal Government needs to embark on physical infrastructural projects such as roads because of the huge capital outlay involved coupled with the difficult terrain. The NDIG believes that the slow pace of development in most States of the Niger Delta Region is as a result of lack of Federal presence in terms of industries and infrastructure that can attract foreign investments. In addition, special financial grants be given to Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom States for the huge sums of money spent in the prevention of militant activities from snowballing into full-scale war. The monies spent in paying militants, the Joint Military Task Force and other matters pertaining to conflict resolution could have been committed to development projects.
4. That the National Assembly members from the South-South Geopolitical zone should boycott proceedings of the House until the monies owed the Niger Delta Development Commission are released, the 25% Derivation fund is implemented and the Vice President is sworn in as acting President in accordance with the relevant sections of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The current situation whereby the 13% Derivation fund is implemented haphazardly negates the fundamental tenets of federalism and the ideology of resource control.
5. That the State Assemblies and all appointees from the Region ranging from: Law Makers, Commissioners, Members of the National Assembly, Ministers and the Presidency should meet and give the Federal Government a deadline of not more than two weeks to stop the Petroleum Industry Bill, which seeks to deregulate the down stream sector of the oil industry. On the contrary, the Federal Government should refurbish all the refineries to ensure they produce at full installed capacity. The Niger Delta Integrity Group believes that the refineries can work and the Federal Government should earmark more monies to build two more refineries: in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States; deregulation will further aggravate the hardship Nigerians and worsen the misery index of the workers.
6. That the NDIG views with dismay the activities of Multinational Corporations especially The Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd. The Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd. has three subsidiaries namely: Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Agip Energy, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited - all of them belong to the Eni Group. ENI GROUP is the parent company which operates in Land and Swamp. ENI GROUP has four (4) Oil blocs namely: Oil Mining License OML 60, 61, 62 & 63 OML 60 basically operates on land and most of OML 60 is in the Kwale area of Delta State. OML 61 and 62 operates mainly in Bayelsa State in Obama and Tebidaba flow, while OML 63 is situated in Bayelsa and Delta State specially the Burutu area. ENI GROUP has its swamp Headquarters at Brass while its land headquarters is in Obiafu/Obrikom near Omoku in Rivers State. Agip Energy operates in shallow offshore usually in locations with water depth that is shallower than 200 meters. AE has two (2) oil blocs all of which are in Bayelsa State. The third subsidiary is Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, which operations fall within water depths more that 200 meters to the abyss operates 5 blocs but presently only one bloc, OML 125 is currently put into production. It is worthy to mention here that the has oil all the blocks are close to Warri and not Lagos as may be claimed by some people who are bent on moving the headquarters to Lagos. The oil blocs OML 120, 121, 125, 134 and while OPL 244 is in the Deep offshore Bayelsa. The NDIG demands that Agip establishes a functional office in Yenagoa so as to pay taxes commensurate to the contributions of the State to her oil production quota. Agip should not neglect this all-important Corporate Social Responsibility. Presently, Bayelsa State is short-changed because Agip has no functional office in Yenagoa.
7. That the Integrity Group notes with dismay that in the early 1970s, the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way was awarded at the same time with the Yenagoa-Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road. While the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way was promptly completed and tarred more than seven times, that of the Yenagoa Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road was abandoned, and up to date, the project has been on the drawing board, and now there are indications that the Federal Government has shifted the responsibility to the Bayelsa State Government. We demand the immediate commencement of the construction of the Yenagoa Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road by the Federal Government.
8. That the National Assembly should amend the Constitution and expunge all obnoxious laws such as the Land Use Act, the Petroleum Act, the offshore Rents and Royalties Act and other obnoxious laws that tend to short-change the economic well being of the Niger Delta People. Until these laws are abolished the oil-rich Region will continue to suffer economic exclusion, marginalization and alienation, with their attendant centrifugal forces of pull and tear.
Finally, the NIGER DELTA INTEGRITY GROUP believes in the cooperate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity, where justice and equity prevail, a nation where no man is oppressed. Sadly, however, the Niger Delta Region has been rendered a hot-bed of crisis and militarization because of the persistent marginalization of the people. Bauchi, Jos and parts of Northern Nigeria have become flash-points of interminable crisis where innocent women, children and the elderly are butchered almost on a monthly basis, Kidnapping and hostage taking has started to rear its ugly head because of the poor implementation of the Amnesty Programme. The NDIG states unequivocally that if this trend is continues, the collapse of the Nigerian State is a matter of time, and the so called power brokers can only ignore these knotty but sensitive matters to the detriment of the stability of the nation.
Telema Timitimi Theophilus Ebikebina
Idumange John
[email protected]
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The NIGER DELTA INTEGRITY GROUP (NDIG) held an emergency meeting at Ugheli, in Delta State on the 20th of January 2010 concerning matters of urgent importance in the Niger Delta Region. At the end of the meeting, the NDIG resolved as follows:
1. That Nigeria stands the risk of a constitutional crisis owing to the prolonged absence of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. To prevent this impending crisis, the Group lends it voice to those calling for the immediate swearing-in of the Vice President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan (GCON) as acting President. In our view, the lacuna created by the absence of President Yar’Adua will escalate tension, mistrust and unnecessary power tussle, which are inimical to good governance and the rule of law. The Group affirms the corporate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity, and holds the view that the stability of Nigeria transcends ethnic, religious and party barriers.
2. That the Federal Government should implement the Post-Amnesty programme in a sustainable and holistic manner without any further delay. The Group strongly believes that the relative peace the Niger Delta People savour now may soon be truncated by the non-implementation of the programme. There are already palpable fears that militancy is likely to rear its ugly head if the tempo of peace is not sustained. The implementation of the Post-Amnesty programme should go simultaneously with the implementation of the 25% derivation funds in our collective push towards an equitable fiscal federalism. The Post-Amnesty Programme should not be politicized.
3. The NDIG calls on the Federal Government to revive all the moribund industries in the Niger Delta Region and Support the establishment of new ones to create employment for the teeming unemployed youths in the Region. With specific reference to Bayelsa State, the Federal Government needs to embark on physical infrastructural projects such as roads because of the huge capital outlay involved coupled with the difficult terrain. The NDIG believes that the slow pace of development in most States of the Niger Delta Region is as a result of lack of Federal presence in terms of industries and infrastructure that can attract foreign investments. In addition, special financial grants be given to Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom States for the huge sums of money spent in the prevention of militant activities from snowballing into full-scale war. The monies spent in paying militants, the Joint Military Task Force and other matters pertaining to conflict resolution could have been committed to development projects.
4. That the National Assembly members from the South-South Geopolitical zone should boycott proceedings of the House until the monies owed the Niger Delta Development Commission are released, the 25% Derivation fund is implemented and the Vice President is sworn in as acting President in accordance with the relevant sections of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The current situation whereby the 13% Derivation fund is implemented haphazardly negates the fundamental tenets of federalism and the ideology of resource control.
5. That the State Assemblies and all appointees from the Region ranging from: Law Makers, Commissioners, Members of the National Assembly, Ministers and the Presidency should meet and give the Federal Government a deadline of not more than two weeks to stop the Petroleum Industry Bill, which seeks to deregulate the down stream sector of the oil industry. On the contrary, the Federal Government should refurbish all the refineries to ensure they produce at full installed capacity. The Niger Delta Integrity Group believes that the refineries can work and the Federal Government should earmark more monies to build two more refineries: in Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom States; deregulation will further aggravate the hardship Nigerians and worsen the misery index of the workers.
6. That the NDIG views with dismay the activities of Multinational Corporations especially The Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd. The Nigerian Agip Oil Company Ltd. has three subsidiaries namely: Nigerian Agip Oil Company, Agip Energy, and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited - all of them belong to the Eni Group. ENI GROUP is the parent company which operates in Land and Swamp. ENI GROUP has four (4) Oil blocs namely: Oil Mining License OML 60, 61, 62 & 63 OML 60 basically operates on land and most of OML 60 is in the Kwale area of Delta State. OML 61 and 62 operates mainly in Bayelsa State in Obama and Tebidaba flow, while OML 63 is situated in Bayelsa and Delta State specially the Burutu area. ENI GROUP has its swamp Headquarters at Brass while its land headquarters is in Obiafu/Obrikom near Omoku in Rivers State. Agip Energy operates in shallow offshore usually in locations with water depth that is shallower than 200 meters. AE has two (2) oil blocs all of which are in Bayelsa State. The third subsidiary is Nigeria Agip Exploration Limited, which operations fall within water depths more that 200 meters to the abyss operates 5 blocs but presently only one bloc, OML 125 is currently put into production. It is worthy to mention here that the has oil all the blocks are close to Warri and not Lagos as may be claimed by some people who are bent on moving the headquarters to Lagos. The oil blocs OML 120, 121, 125, 134 and while OPL 244 is in the Deep offshore Bayelsa. The NDIG demands that Agip establishes a functional office in Yenagoa so as to pay taxes commensurate to the contributions of the State to her oil production quota. Agip should not neglect this all-important Corporate Social Responsibility. Presently, Bayelsa State is short-changed because Agip has no functional office in Yenagoa.
7. That the Integrity Group notes with dismay that in the early 1970s, the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way was awarded at the same time with the Yenagoa-Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road. While the Lagos-Ibadan Express Way was promptly completed and tarred more than seven times, that of the Yenagoa Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road was abandoned, and up to date, the project has been on the drawing board, and now there are indications that the Federal Government has shifted the responsibility to the Bayelsa State Government. We demand the immediate commencement of the construction of the Yenagoa Kolo-Nembe-Brass Road by the Federal Government.
8. That the National Assembly should amend the Constitution and expunge all obnoxious laws such as the Land Use Act, the Petroleum Act, the offshore Rents and Royalties Act and other obnoxious laws that tend to short-change the economic well being of the Niger Delta People. Until these laws are abolished the oil-rich Region will continue to suffer economic exclusion, marginalization and alienation, with their attendant centrifugal forces of pull and tear.
Finally, the NIGER DELTA INTEGRITY GROUP believes in the cooperate existence of Nigeria as an indivisible entity, where justice and equity prevail, a nation where no man is oppressed. Sadly, however, the Niger Delta Region has been rendered a hot-bed of crisis and militarization because of the persistent marginalization of the people. Bauchi, Jos and parts of Northern Nigeria have become flash-points of interminable crisis where innocent women, children and the elderly are butchered almost on a monthly basis, Kidnapping and hostage taking has started to rear its ugly head because of the poor implementation of the Amnesty Programme. The NDIG states unequivocally that if this trend is continues, the collapse of the Nigerian State is a matter of time, and the so called power brokers can only ignore these knotty but sensitive matters to the detriment of the stability of the nation.
Telema Timitimi Theophilus Ebikebina
Idumange John
[email protected]
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