Issues
Participation In Petroleum Development …Towards Sustainable Community Development In The Niger Delta
Continued from last Wednesday May 19, 2010.
The book “Participation in Petroleum Development, Towards Sustainable community Development in the Niger Delta” by Eseme-Alabo Dr. Edward Bristol-Alagbariya is essential for key oil industry experts, administrators, scholars and students who wants to gain further insight on how the Niger Delta can benefit from oil exploration and exploitation. The Tide, beginning from this edition, run excerpts of the book. Enjoy it.
The adverse consequences of extractive industrial operations (ie, petroleum and other mining and mineral resources development operations) on the environment in resources-rich local communities and the welfare of the people of these communities in developing countries continue to attract interest across the globe. The author points out how the enormous but largely mismanaged wealth, derived from these operations in such countries, plays a key role in generating crises. He discusses how these crises, heightened by youth restiveness, in the Nigerian Delta region became so serious in the 1990s that they began to trigger the rise of crude oil prices in international markets as well as generate other negative consequences. These include insecurity of supply of Nigeria’s petroleum resources to its consumer nations, and the insecurity of lives and property, especially the lives of expatriate personnel of multinational oil companies and citizens of the region, as well as the Federal Government’s petroleum development Joint Venture assets in the region. Based on these and other identified imperatives, the author makes a scholarly contribution to the resolution of these protracted and devastating crises on the platform of the ongoing worldwide participation explosion (ie, citizens’ or public participation in environmental decision making, otherwise known as environmental democracy).
From the level of nation states of the world at the United Nations, to various international, national and local community levels, the participation of those adversely affected by extractive industrial operations is being advocated. Participation of stakeholders in the decision-making process of extractive industrial operations is being advocated to achieve environmentally-sound and socially-equitable sustainable development in the overall interest of mankind. On the strength of various standards, toolkits and other models and references provided, the author indicates that environmental democracy is an idea whose time has come in Nigeria in relation to petroleum development. It is on this premise that the author anchors his discussion on sustainable community development in the Delta region and Nigeria’s other oil-producing areas, without disregarding the interests of other major stakeholders of the petroleum development business and overall public good in Nigeria.
I therefore recommend this book to academics on natural resources law and policy, and to planners, policy makers, statesmen and government officials in Nigeria and beyond. It deserves the attention of all Nigerians in the effort towards sustainable community development in the oil-producing areas, as well as transparency and accountability in governance associated with petroleum development in the country. For Nigerians and all parties with an interest in this area, this book is a pioneering study of significant practical relevance to the stimulation of environmental democracy in natural resources development projects in a developing nation.
Professor Peter Cameron, FCIArb.
(Professor of International Energy Law & Policy, CEPMLP and Director of Research at the Postgraduate School, University of Dundee), June 2009.
PREFACE
This book discusses environmental democracy (ie, public or citizens’ participation [PP] in environmental decision making) with regard to petroleum development in the Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN). Community involvement (CI) is discussed as an aspect of PP so as to examine the role of corporate responsibility and impact assessment regarding petroleum development in the Niger Delta. It is on this note that sustainable community development (SCD) featured as a key issue, considering that sustainable development (SD) cannot be achieved in Nigeria and other nations without the existence of sustainable communities. The destiny of mankind is thus dependent on the well-being of man’s immediate environment and place of habitation such as communities, cities, and provinces comprising global nations.
PP (also referred to as public involvement [PI]) presupposes that members of the public affected by a decision have the right to be involved in the making of such a decision. PI is thus defined as a problem-solving process which uses public input in decision making, while environmental democracy is defined as an aspect of PI regarding development proposals capable of impacting adversely on the environment and SD. The degree of PI in environmental decision making is required to be participatory (ie, interactive) in order to properly incorporate the views and concerns of the affected, concerned and interested public into the decision-making process.
The goal of PP expressed by the leading international civil society organisation on participation – the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2), referred to in Chapter 1, provides that participation includes the promise that the involvement of (ie, the views and concerns expressed by) the public will influence the decision. Participation promotes sustainable decisions by recognising and communicating the needs and interests of all participants, including decision-makers. It generates and enhances the involvement of those potentially affected by, interested in or concerned about decisions. Participation seeks input from participants in designing how they participate. It provides participants with information which they need to participate in a meaningful way. PP communicates to participants how their input affects decisions. Consequently, based on Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992, as elaborated in the Aarhus Convention of 1998, on access to information, PP in decision making and access to justice in environmental matters, the author demonstrates that PP (ie, interactive PI) can enhance or generate environmentally-sound and socially-equitable SCD in the course of petroleum development in the Niger Delta.
Petroleum resources have, for the last four decades, been the economic mainstay of the FRN. The resources development operations commenced in the Niger Delta (ie, the Delta ethnic minority region of the Federation) in 1956. Shortly after the start of these operations, citizens of the Delta region, the main producers of the resources, started protesting about the adverse effects of the operations on the environment in the region and their welfare. These protests became serious from the 1990s, as the problems of the citizens of the region heightened by the adverse effects of petroleum development, are neither fully nor satisfactorily being addressed by the Federal Government (FG), other levels of government and the multinational oil companies (MNOCs) operating in the region. Citizens of the Delta region feel estranged, due to such factors as unitary rule, lack of transparency and accountability in governance, inequitable laws and practices, and weak policies, guidelines and regulations governing petroleum development in the Federation. Their protests, expressed in the form of incessant community crises, aggravated by youth restiveness, are articulated through the resource-control movement which has become a binding force in the region.
Protracted community crises in the Delta region, which have caused the fall of Nigeria’s oil-production rate and certain previous increases in global oil prices, have several negative effects. They hinder the smooth development of petroleum resources, and security of supply to Nigeria’s consumer-nations. These crises endanger lives and property (ie, the lives of local citizens, expatriate personnel of the MNOCs and the Federal Government’s [FG’s] petroleum development joint venture [JV] assets) in the region’s communities. Insecurity of lives posed by frequent hostage-taking of expatriates of the MNOCs and local citizens, especially infants and the elderly in the region, has generated public outcry condemning hostage-taking as a crime against humanity. The resource-control movement thus seeks to address the protracted community crises by advocating improved CI in the decision-making process of petroleum development, to enhance the protection of the environment and thereby generate sound and equitable SD in the region.
To be continued
This is an open letter to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike.
Your Excellency,
Sir, ordinarily, I would not be writing an open letter to you, but like a wise man once said, “Silence would be Treason.” So I prefer to stay alive than face the consequences of silence in the face of crime. With each passing day, and as the socio-political tides continue to turn, it has become more pertinent that more people speak up in a concerted MANNER to prevent the death of our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as we appear to be, in the words of W. B. Yeats, “turning and turning in the widening gyre” heading for an end where the falcon will no longer hear the falconer
It is unfortunate that since losing control of the Federal Government, with the loss of President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll in 2015, our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has continued on a downward spiral. It is much more painful, that where it is expected that leaders within the party should rise to the challenge and put an end to this decline of our great party, some have instead taken up roles as its undertaker.
It will be hypocritical to claim aloofness to what I believe is your grouse with the PDP and I am not a hypocrite. It will be uncharitable on my part to discountenance the role you have played in strengthening the PDP from 2015 up until the last Presidential primaries of the party. It is my belief that your grouse against certain members of the party who you perceived worked against the party and abandoned it in 2015 and then came around much later to take control of the party, is justified. Also know that your decision to remain in the Party and stifle its progress on the other hand, as a sort of payback, stands condemned. For a man of your pedigree and stature, it is a dishonorable act, highly dishonorable and stands as testimony against all you claim to stand for.
At least, it can be argued that those who you hold this grudge against, abandoned the party completely and did not sit back while actively working to destroy it from within. But what then can be the argument on your own part, seeing that those you are currently working with against your party are the same people who set in motion, and executed surgically, the plans that not only ended our Party’s leadership at the centre, but ended up dislodging the first Niger Deltan to occupy Aso Rock as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. Is this not akin to “cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face?” That will be worse than folly. Let us not throw away the baby with the bath water because we do not like the soap used in bathing the baby. It will be a grave mistake.
Honourable Minister, sir, it is rather unfortunate that of all people, you have also decided to play the role of an undertaker not only for our party, but for our dear Rivers State.
I will like to take you down memory lane a little. Let me remind you of your emergence as Guber candidate of the PDP in Rivers State, against all fairness and justice in 2014. You will remember that despite the reality being that you as an Ikwerre man was poised to replace a fellow Ikwerre man in Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in our multiethnic state, Rivers people overwhelmingly stood by you and pushed for your emergence as Executive Governor of Rivers State in 2015. I dare say that your popularity in the entire Niger Delta region was at an all-time high at this point.
I want you to understand why you were loved across board leading to your eventual emergence as Governor of Rivers State in 2015; it was because when it looked like all were against the second term ambitions of the first Niger Delta man to emerge as President of Nigeria, you became not just a pillar but a beacon of resistance by standing for Goodluck Jonathan. Rivers people, as grateful and rewarding as they can be, paid you back by ensuring your electoral victory against the incumbent All Progressives Congress (APC) led by your predecessor. On your emergence, where there were second term Governors in the region, you, a first term Governor, was seen by the people as not just the leader of the PDP, but the leader of the entire Niger Delta region. You earned it, and no one could dispute it.
In 2019, when your re-election bid was being challenged ferociously, Rivers people once again stood solidly behind you. Many were killed in the process of defending your votes. Do you remember Dr. Ferry Gberegbe that was shot and killed while trying to protect your votes in Khana Local Government Area? There are many more unnamed and unrecognised sons and daughters of Rivers State who sacrificed their lives so that you could emerge as a second term Governor of Rivers State.
In 2022/23, Honourable Minister, you oversaw a party primary across board that saw some candidates imprisoned and internal party democracy jettisoned for your wishes, leading to the emergence of flag bearers of our party all singlehandedly picked by you. You have on more than one occasion publicly stated that you paid for all their forms. Even those shortchanged in this process licked their wounds and continued to play their roles as party members to ensure the success of the party at all levels. In what will go down as one of the most keenly contested elections in recent Rivers history, with formidable candidates like Senator Magnus Abe of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Mr Tonye Cole of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the vibrant youth driven Labour Party (LP), PDP emerged victorious across board except for Phalga Constituency 1 that was lost to the Labour Party. (Not that you did not loose in some other LGA’s but let’s stick to the official figures declared by INEC).
It begs the question, why then do you want to burn down Rivers State, when everyone who now holds political office emerged through a process designed and endorsed by you? Is it that you do not care about Rivers people and you are all about yourself? If so, I am forced to believe that those around you are not telling you the truth. The truth being that in a state where your words were law; where houses and businesses could be demolished or closed down without any recourse to legalities, where Executive Orders could be deployed to stifle the opposition, that your popularity is now at an all-time low. Probably because they are afraid of you, or of losing the benefits they gain from you, they fail to tell you that what you might perceive as a battle against your successor, has slowly but gradually degenerating into a battle against Rivers State and Rivers people. You know, there is a popular saying that, a man can cook for the community and the community will finish the food, but when a community decides to cook for one man, the reverse is the case.
LEAVE FUBARA ALONE
You have gone on and on about being betrayed by Governor Siminalayi Fubara. You point fingers forgetting that some of those same fingers quick to spot betrayals point straight back at you. It is not Governor Fubara that has betrayed the PDP by working against it in the just concluded General Election, and working with the opposition at the State and Federal level to destabilise the party. It is you, Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that betrayed Rivers people by instigating a political crisis with propensity to escalate ethnic tensions in Rivers State. It is you Honourable Minister. It is not Governor Fubara that has declared himself God over all in Rivers State and has no qualms with burning the state to the ground to prove a point. It is you Honourable Minister. It is you Honourable Minister who told the world that the APC was a cancer and you can never support a cancerous party. It is you Honourable Minister who ended up facilitating the emergence of the same “cancerous” APC that has accelerated the economic decline of this country and further impoverished our people with no remorse. All so you can be a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory? The lack of self awareness is gobsmacking.
Some days back I came across a video where you talked about death and how you do not cry when you hear about the death of some people because you have no idea what might have caused it considering many a politician swear “over dead bodies” and still go back on their words. Those words made me think, and I could see the reason behind them. You see, in chosing to be God in the affairs of Rivers people, you have closed your eyes and ears to reason; you see nothing and hear nothing that can cause you to rethink on the path you have chosen. In your quest to “show Fubara” you have unwittingly united a vast majority of Rivers people behind him, so much that even those who despised him because of you, now like or love him, because of you too. In your scheming, I will advise you not to forget that “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.
Note that the war which you have or are waging against Governor Fubara, has gone beyond being merely political as you might see in your minds eye. It is now one that, fortunately for some and unfortunately for others, has evolved into a war against Rivers people. It is good to point out that no one has taken a stand against Rivers people and won. No one has gone against God and won. In your defiant characteristic manner, it will be unfortunate if you believe your own hubris and that of those around you on the possibility of you being the first to successfully go against Rivers people. It will be a needless gamble; one where if you win you create more enemies for yourself than you can withstand on your political journey, and if you lose, your legacy becomes an inglorious and irredeemable one in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, and Nigeria at large. For your sake as regards posterity, it is my greatest wish that you have a moment of sobriety and a deep reflection and introspection on this path you have chosen.
Honourable Minister, sir, what is left of your legacy is on the brink of being completely desecrated and relegated to the dustbin of our political history, and it will be a sad end to what I will say has been a wonderful political career that many can only dream of. The ball is in your court, and may God Almighty have mercy on us all and forgive us for our shortcomings.
Gabriel Baritulem Pidomson
Dr Pidomson is former Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt and former member, Rivers State House of Assembly.
In 2015, I made a conscious decision to invest my financial resources, my time, and energy into supporting Nyesom Wike’s gubernatorial campaign. I poured my heart and soul into ensuring Nyesom Wike emerged victorious even at the risk of my personal safety.
Again in 2019, I doubled down on my commitment. I invested a significant amount of money to procure campaign outfits for all twenty-three Local Governments Areas of Rivers State. I spared no expense in supplementing Wike’s election efforts in my own local government, and once again putting myself at great risk to safeguard the fairness and transparency of the electoral process.
However, despite my unwavering loyalty and sacrifices, I found myself abandoned and forgotten by Wike. Throughout his eight-year tenure, he failed to acknowledge my contributions or fulfill his promises and agreements. Even as a former Deputy Governor, Wike denied me my severance benefit.
My investment in Wike’s governorship was not just financial – it was a commitment of passion, dedication, and belief in a better future for Rivers State. Yet, his leadership style of dishonesty, greed, drunkenness and rash abuse of senior citizens brought me nothing but disappointment, misery and losses.
By the grace of God, today I speak not as a victim, but as a hero. I have accepted my losses, and I have moved on. And as I reflect on my experience, I cannot help but urge Wike to do the same and allow peace and development to reign in Rivers State.
Nyesom Wike, when you speak of investing in Governor Sim Fubara’s election, remember those like me who also invested in you. Remember the sacrifices I made, the risks I took, and the promises and agreements you left unfulfilled.
It is time for you, Wike, to let go of the past and allow Governor Sim Fubara the breathing space he needs to lead Rivers State forward. Allow him to focus on the challenges of good governance and the aspirations of the people. Spare him these unwarranted and ill-conceived political manoeuvrings founded on personal agenda and not for general good of Rivers State and her people.
I may have lost my investment on Wike, but I have not lost hope in the future of Rivers State. And together, we will continue to strive for a brighter tomorrow.
Long Live the Governor to Rivers State, Sir Siminialayi Fubara!
Long Live the Good People of Rivers State!!
Long Live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!
Engr Ikuru is former Deputy Governor of Rivers State.
Tele Ikuru
