Ex-Militants' Training - FG Dissatisfied With Oil Companies' Contributions

allAfrica
1 April 2012

Ex-Militants' Training - FG Dissatisfied With Oil Companies' Contributions

The Federal Government is dissatisfied with the training of ex-militants by multinational oil companies, an official said on Sunday in Lagos.  Mr Kingsley Kuku, the Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Niger Delta Matters, said this at an investiture organised in his honour.  He said the companies failed to train 3,000 ex-militants at they pledged but rather gave insufficient training 1,200.
Kuku said that the training given to 1,200 was not relevant to the petroleum industry.

Ex-militants disrupt Mobil’s operation

The Nation
3 April 2012
Ex-militants disrupt Mobil’s operation

REPENTANT ex-militants yesterday disrupted operations at Mobil Producing Nigeria’s Qua Iboe Terminal following a protest that lasted for more than five hours.  The youths, who claimed to be Ex-Niger Delta Agitators, blocked the access road to Qua Iboe Terminal in Ibeno, Akwa Ibom, thus denying members of staff of Mobil and expatriates access to the oil field.

Asari Dokubo says N74billion is not enough for amnesty programme

Channels TV
20 March 2012

Asari Dokubo says N74billion is not enough for amnesty programme

The former President of the Ijaw Youth Council and Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, has insisted that the N74 billion budgeted for the rehabilitation and retraining of the Niger Delta ex-militants in the 2012 budget was not enough.

Nigeria Oil Spill Senate Warns Oil Firms

allAfricacom
20 March 2012

Nigeria Oil Spill Senate Warns Oil Firms
The Senate Committee on Environment yesterday said it will not hesitate to sanction oil companies that recklessly spill oil in the Niger Delta region.

Derivation: North’s position a joke, say S/South, S/West leaders

The Nation

18 March 2012

Derivation: North’s position a joke, say S/South, S/West leaders

THE fire ignited by Dr. Junaid Mohammed and the Coalition of Northern Leaders, Academics, Professionals and Businessmen continued to rage yesterday as many activists and leaders from the South picked the gauntlet to dispute the contention of the North on revenue allocation to Niger Delta States.

Former leader of the Ijaw National Council, Professor Kimse Okoko told The Nation on telephone that the North’s position stemmed from indolence and increased lack of initiative. Reacting to the coalition’s contention that about 70 per cent of Nigeria’s oil revenue derives from off-shore locations, Okoko said, “they are merely trying to reap from where they did not sow.”

NIGERIA LOSES N8.05 Tr OIL DEALS

Akanimo Reports

17 March 2012

NIGERIA LOSES N8.05 Tr OIL DEALS

 Warri : Nigeria

Members of the Niger Delta People Volunteers Force march in support of Nigeria's President Goodluck Jonathan on fuel subsidies removal in the oil hub city of Port Hacourt

LOCAL oil servicing firms in the Niger Delta axis of Nigeria, have so far loss over $50 billion, around N8.05 trillion to alleged unwholesome activities in the petroleum sector of the country's economy.

Though this is currently a major source of worry to the local players in the industry who had high hopes on the Local Content Act, as a major legal weapon to boost their businesses.

Industry watchers say the rip-off is largely due to the activities of foreign mafia who are said to be well-entrenched in the allegedly corrupt oil sector.

Sylva left nothing in Bayelsa treasury – Dickson

Punch

16 March 2012

Sylva left nothing in Bayelsa treasury – Dickson

Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson on Thursday said he inherited an empty treasury from the Timipre Sylva administration.

Dickson alleged that  Sylva left “heavy and intimidating debt portfolios” for his administration to service.

Ownership of Oil Wells - Communities Threaten to Hinder Production

Vanguard

15 March 2012

Ownership of Oil Wells - Communities Threaten to Hinder Production

Enugu — ANAMBRA State government's desire to join the league of oil producing states in the country may be stalemated if the crisis brewing between the state and host communities of the oil wells in Enugu State is not resolved.

Uzo-Uwani local government area of Enugu State where the two oil blocks acquired by Orient Petroleum are located, have threatened to stop the company from commencing activities in the area for allegedly failing to accord the council its due recognition.

Chairman of the council, Cornel Onwubuya, who briefed newsmen on the development yesterday, frowned on what he described as misleading pronouncement from chairman of the Board of Directors of Orient Petroleum, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, that Anambra would soon become an oil producing state, even when the oil wells which the company intended to explore are located in Enugu State.

According to him, the pronouncement by the former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth is already generating tension among the host communities of Igga, Asaba, Ojjor and Ogrugu in Enugu State.

Senate Passes N4.8 Trillion [$31.bn] 2012 Budget

Vanguard

16 March 2012

Senate Passes N4.8 Trillion [$31.bn] 2012 Budget

National Assembly, Abuja. (Photo Courtesy Alec Johnson/allAfrica.com) Abuja — The Senate, yesterday, passed the budget of N4,877, 209,156,933 [$31.065 bn] for the 2012 fiscal year, just as it plans to sue the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, over repeated failure to submit its budget to National Assembly for approval.

The new budget passed was N229 billion higher than the revised budget of N4.648 trillion sent to the National Assembly in February by President Goodluck Jonathan.

The budget includes an upward review of oil benchmark of $70 bpd proposed by President Jonathan to $72 bpd which is to help reduce provision for deficit budget of N1.162 trillion by N98 billion.

It also includes N888 billion funding for oil subsidy programme, beside another N180 billion provided for Subsidy Re-investment Programme, SURE.

What oil communities, Abacha, northern leaders agreed on derivation – Okirika

A very interesting interpretation of derivation history -- the oil-producing communities were to have received the 13% - not the states ...

Vanguard

16 March 2012

What oil communities, Abacha, northern leaders agreed on derivation – Okirika

FOR the oil communities in the Niger-Delta, there is a misconception by both the Northern governors and Niger-Delta on what the 13 per cent derivation is all about. While the northern governors see it as booty for their southern counterparts and want it reduced, some South-south governors, indeed, think it is booty for them and have hijacked the fund from the oil communities, which it is meant for.

Some of the leaders of the oil communities, who fought for 13 per cent derivation, spoke to Vanguard on their disappointment and joy since former Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha of blessed memory, who they described as a hero approved 13 per cent derivation fund for oil communities. They spoke on how former President Olusegun Obasanjo tried to make the governors of the oil states comply with the original agreement that led to the approval of 13 per cent derivation by northern leaders at that time, the states that complied and those that blatantly refused.

The oil communities are spoiling for a show down, they want to draw a battle line – with whom and why? Find out from the lips of the man who co-ordinated events for the oil states in the 1994 Constitutional Conference, Chief Wellington Okirika, former national chairman of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria, TROMPCON,

‘13% derivation is 87% deprivation for N/Delta’

The Nation

11March 2012

‘13% derivation is 87% deprivation for N/Delta’

 • Amnesty not the solution, says Tamuno

A former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Prof. Tekena Tamuno, has declared that Federal Government’s amnesty for repentant militants is not the real answer to the Niger Delta question of many decades.

According to the renowned historian, the reality of life in much of the region today is "13 per cent derivation and 87 per cent deprivation of Niger Deltans of the benefits of their natural resources, especially crude oil and gas."

Tamuno, an Okrika from Rivers State spoke as a guest lecturer at the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).

Oil Cuts As Delta Erupts

Africa Confidential

16 March 2012

Oil Cuts As Delta Erupts

analysis

As the government contends with a Boko Haram militia determined to make the north ungovernable, a new round of attacks has erupted in the oil-producing Niger Delta.

Apart from the financial damage of a new Delta crisis, it adds to the government's credibility problem. As a government led by Niger Deltans, it was expected to pacify and then start developing the region.

Addressing the ecological and socio-economic devastation in the Delta would realistically take decades; local communities expect their government to make palpable progress with investment and job programmes. There is little sign of that happening

The North should save itself (1)

The Moment

13 March 2012

The North should save itself (1)

By Dominik Umosen

BY now, it has been made crystal-clear from the public utterances of opinion leaders from the area that the incidence of poverty is greater in the North-Western and North-Eastern parts of Nigeria than elsewhere  in the country. 

As a matter of fact, in its Year 2010 Poverty Profile for Nigeria, the National Bureau of Statistics,  NBS,  cited  tear-jerking poverty as the epicentre of the murderous  Boko Haram religious extremism now ravaging several parts of the once- peaceful northern Nigeria.

I recall with nostalgia, those swinging days of yore when you could  embark on spur-of-the-moment junkets, criss-crossing pristine terrain, just to admire  the panorama of stretches of virgin land just for the fun of it.

But the NBS  did not credit oil-producing parts of Nigeria with responsibility for the historical problems of the north..

For the sake of the records, it is necessary to recall that this allegory of poverty- driven  violence  was popularized by opinion leaders from that part of the country, or at least by sections of it.

But whereas the opinion leaders appear united on the incidence of poverty in that part of the country , the unanimity of  contributory factors for this prevalence  appear to have been reduced to a matter of sophistry by the respective leaders.

The North Should Save Itself (2)

The Moment

14 March 2012

The North Should Save Itself (2)

By Dominik Umosen

 opinion

IT is always convenient to ignore the fact that the North cannot honestly expect to continue in the age-long tradition of living off the sweat of others as it has been doing since oil was discovered in Nigeria.

It is like one's father living off others and later the son does the same, as the chairman of the Petroleum Revenue Task Force, Nuhu Ribadu, seems to be doing. When groundnut and cotton held sway as income earners for the country, no non-producing region, as they were then called, grumbled that their northern counterparts were smiling all the way to the bank with their derivation revenue.

No non-producer of cotton and groundnut envied the producing regions in their merited moments of well-deserved affluence. Now that the tables have turned, their progenitor states are behaving like the proverbial bad losers by complaining that oil producers should not enjoy the privileges of their natural endowment.

Senator: National conference inevitable

The Nation

15 March 2012

Senator: National conference inevitable

Ewherido Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido, who represents Delta Central Senatorial District, is the only Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) Senator. Ewherido, Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Maritime, speaks on the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency, the difference between Boko Haram sect and Niger Delta militants, the need for a unicameral legislature  and the clamour  for a national conference. Assistant Editor ONYEDI OJIABOR captures his thoughts in this interview.

The country is faced with se rious security challenges. The impression of most Nigerians is that Boko Haram fundamentalists have virtually destroyed the economy of Northern Nigeria?

Of course that view is correct because nobody will invest in an atmosphere of insecurity. Recall that during the Niger Delta crisis when the militants took over the entire rivers and oil installations, investors had no option but to move away from the Niger Delta area. Even though, then, the militants targeted only oil installations and not human beings, today the Boko Haram targets human beings.

Crusade against crude oil theft get boost as Air Force, Navy establish presence in Bayelsa

Vanguard

14 March 2012

Crusade against crude oil theft get boost as Air Force, Navy establish presence in Bayelsa

Crude oil thieves and illegal refinery operators in the Niger Delta are in for a tough time as the Mobility Command Headquarters of the Nigerian Air Force in Bayelsa State is set for full operation.

Aside the Mobility Command which is expected to compliment the effort of the Joint Task Force codenamed Operation Pulo Shield, in crusade against crude oil thieves and illegal refinery operators, the Nigerian Navy is to establish a central command in Bayelsa known for having the longest coastline in the country.

Also, a delegation of the Nigerian Navy would be holding discussions with government later this week, with a view to establishing its Central Command in the state.

Vanguard investigation revealed that crude oil thieves and illegal refinery operators are currently exploiting the region dense mangrove vegetation and maze of creeks to carry out their nefarious activities which is not only bleeding the nation economy but also terrorizing the region’s fragile ecosystem.

Ondo approves N22,000 minimum wage for workers

Tribune

16 March 2012

Ondo approves N22,000 minimum wage for workers

ONDO State governor, Dr OIusegun Mimiko on Thursday announced that the state government would commence the payment of N22,000 as minimum wage to its workers as from April 1, 2012.

The governor broke the news in Akure, the state capital while speaking at a seminar on “Building Robust Workplace Relationship for Union Executives and Management in the Public Service,” organised by the South-West zone of the Nigeria Civil Service Union.

He said: “You will all recall that the Federal Government, last August approved the payment of N18,000 as minimum wage to Nigerian workers. In Ondo State, we started our own from July and today, I want to inform you of my approval, last night, the payment of N22,000 as minimum wage in Ondo State with effect from April 2012.

'Generator Repair and Maintenance Is Lucrative'

Leadership

14 March 2012

'Generator Repair and Maintenance Is Lucrative'

By Gabriel Ewepu

 opinion

Many young people are wasting their time waiting for white collar jobs which are scarce to come by, and they have failed to acquire skills in other profitable business ventures. Mr Osai Kingsley Chiwogwu is one young enterprising Nigerian who speaks on his technical job with GABRIEL EWEPU.

It is a reality in Nigeria that white collar jobs are like scarce commodities, as the numbers of applicants are more than the vacancies declared. Unfortunately, many young people are sitting idle and waiting for the door of white collar jobs to open, while other doors of opportunity to make their dreams come through are wide open for them. Rather they ignore it because they refer to it as menial jobs.

Some wise and industrious young Nigerians who have the vision for their future have chosen to key into such windows of opportunities to make life comfortable for themselves despite the challenges inherent. One of such visionary young Nigerians is Mr Osai Kingsley Chiwogu.

The Curse of Oil - 200 Riverside Delta Communities Cry Out

Vanguard

12 March 2012

The Curse of Oil - 200 Riverside Delta Communities Cry Out

By Emma Amaize

interview

THERE are two traditional African sayings that "a man that lives near the river will not use spit to wash his hands" and "a man cannot be in the river and be looking for fish to eat".

Both mean the same thing, which is that one cannot be suffering in the midst of plenty.

But since December 20, 2011 discharge of about 40, 000 barrels of crude oil into the Bight of Benin by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company, SNPECO, following a leak in its oil production facility, christened, Bonga offshore oil field, inhabitants of not less than 200 riverine communities, scattered in the Itsekiri and Ijaw ethnic groups in Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Areas of Delta State complain that day after day, their search for fish to eat had been in vain.

Reason: Crude oil spill purported to be from Bonga has polluted the rivers, streams and ponds in the fishing communities, killing and chasing away fishes from their environments to the deep seas. Sometimes, fishermen stay days before they return to the village because of the distance of the sea from their homes. Though the Managing Director, SPDC/Chairman, Shell companies in Nigeria, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu and Corporate Media Relations Manager, Mr. Tony Okonedo, insisted that the spill the communities were complaining about were third party spill and not from Bonga FPSO, the oil communities said the only crude oil spill they knew within the period was the one from the Bonga.

Itsekiri communities cry out

NDDC Opens Bid For 66 Mega Projects In Niger Delta

Leadership

12 March 2012

NDDC Opens Bid For 66 Mega Projects In Niger Delta

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) on Monday opened bids for 66 mega projects in accordance with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act.

Dr. Christian Oboh, the Managing Director of the commission, who opened the bids in Port Harcourt, said that the projects were lined up for implementation in the 2011 budget.

However, it was reported that the contracts included 33 road projects, 17 shore protection and erosion control projects, five electrification projects and one technical college in each of the nine states of the region.

Others projects are regional specialist children/orthopaedic/cardiovascular hospital and maternity home in each of the states.

The bids opening ceremony were witnessed by representatives of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and Civil Society Organisations.