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Total’s Divestment From Rivers: Matters Arising
The vigilance of a federal lawmaker representing Degema, Bonny Federal Constituency, Honourable Farah Dagogo has put the multinational oil company, Total Group on the block over its planned divestment from the Rivers State. The company’s agenda commenced with the shifting of its oil servicing companies from the Egina offshore field in Onne, Rivers State to LADOL Yard in Lagos State. The significance of the planned shift of services from Rivers State to Lagos remains a tacit gesture of divestment by Total Group and is underscored by the fact that Egina field produces at peak performance, about 200,000 barrels of oil daily, making it a major facility.
LADOL is an acronym for Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base, located at the entry point to Lagos harbour and accessed by 200-metre quay which is to be expanded to 1000 metres. It is a logistics and supply chain centre which was established in the year 2000 as part of the Lagos Special Economic Zone and serves as one stop service shop for multinational industrial and oil and gas operations. The irony here is that LADOL was established in Lagos with no drop of crude oil while the Niger Delta region which is the source of the resource has been left bereft of such facility.
Alerting the nation over this development, Honourable Dagogo highlighted its dangerous implications for escalating the level of unemployment with loss of jobs for the employable youth of the Niger Delta region. The loss of jobs will invariably lead to escalation of unrest and its unpalatable consequences. To accentuate his case, Honourable Farah Dagogo plans to present a motion on the matter during plenary of the House of Representatives after the institution’s resumption from its ongoing recess. The motion is intended to compel the multinational oil companies in the region to be more domesticated in their operational bases including moving their operational headquarters to the area. By his intervention, Honourable Dagogo is lending his voice to a growing lobby of advocacy aimed at compelling the corporate oil companies to relocate their headquarters to the Niger Delta region. In the same vein calls on relevant stake holders to join the advocacy for the firms to do the needful.
The divestment agenda of Total Group therefore comes against the backdrop of the aforementioned stringent calls on multinational oil companies operating in the country’s Niger Delta region to increase their presence, through establishing their downstream operations such as services delivery activities in the region. By such activities, they were expected to create jobs for locals around their operational bases and thereby vitiate the incentive for restiveness among such people.
It is easily recalled that among the factors that have bedevilled oil and gas exploration and production in the region is the perception of the oil companies as mere agents of mindless exploitation of the resources of the region without commensurate concern and commitment to the often deleterious consequences of the activities. Given the highly automated processes in the oil and gas sector, operators virtually garner the resources with minimal direct physical presence at the operational sites. This situation has isolated the critical decision makers in the industry from direct contact with the harshest state of affairs in the actual operational zones leaving much of the victims of hazards from hazardous activities unattended to.
Just as well, the absence of the strategic leaders of the oil firms is often exploited to violate extant laws and regulations governing operational expedients aimed at facilitating environmental soundness. The advocacy for encouraging the designated oil is to enhance their direct contact with consequences of their operations on a real time basis, as well as facilitate closer interface with their host communities. And as experience has shown in several instances, it is actually in the best interest of the firms to be as close as possible to their operational bases and host communities.
It is significant that while a company like Total Group is sneaking its service operations out of Rivers State to Lagos, another younger oil company, Belema Oil Producing Limited is demonstrating a higher sense of responsibility and sensitivity to the aspirations of its host communities by identifying with the core concerns of the latter. For instance, Belemaoil has apart from investing commendably in its host communities, recently splashed scores of scholarship awards to deserving beneficiaries from its host communities.
It is with this context that the alert by Honourable Dagogo remains commendable and qualifies to be seen in its fuller panoply as a wake-up call for the establishment of world class maritime as well as oil and gas facilities of the class of LADOL, within the Niger Delta region, for the purpose of trapping the jobs that are ferried out to Lagos and possibly abroad. It is also in such a respect that the various statutory interventionist agencies lie the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should go beyond the traditional handout class programmes and projects and aspire to develop long term turnkey facilities that will redefine life and business in the area. By partnering with well-disposed public and private sector interests both at home and abroad, the NDDC can stimulate the development of key economic facilities that will predispose the Rivers State in particular and the rest of the Niger Delta region a bigger role in the maritime based blue economy, which is their natural due.
This is why the divestment moves by Total Group and any other multinational from the Rivers State remains a business challenge that needs to be addressed. Honourable Farah Dagogo’s take is therefore on course.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has said that peace has prevailed because he draws strength from God to resist insults and tantrums thrown at him while frustrating attempts by some disgruntled persons who wanted to plunge the State into unending crisis.
The Governor also said that because he has anchored his Government on promoting peace, the enabling atmosphere has been provided for investments and sustainable development to flourish.
Governor Fubara made the assertion when he received a delegation of members of the Bishops and Gospel Ministers’ Association International Incorporated, Rivers State Chapter, at Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday.
Represented by the Head of Rivers State Civil Service, Dr George Nwaeke, Governor Fubara said while most people took his meekness for weakness, his stance on peace has unarguably enhanced harmonious atmosphere of concord as residents sleep with their two eyes closed, and investors and shareholders are happy with the returns on investment.
He said, “Before, what they hear of Rivers State is that they are fighting, and some genuine investors will not come. Some people even ask you: How are you coping in Rivers State?
“But now”, he asserted: “The Governor has brought about a lot of changes in the State. One of the most important things is that he has changed the negative narrative. It is no longer Rivers of blood. It is now Rivers of peace.
“We are enjoying our lives here. Why? Because there is a change in the narrative. We have peace. The Governor is, as much as possible, absorbing any level of insult at him only for one purpose: that Rivers State may have peace; that we may grow; that this state will experience genuine development.”
Governor Fubara urged them, as members of the Christian family in the State, to continue to pray for the State and the Government so that the enemies of the State will be put to greater shame.
“This peace is what I want you to embrace. Go and continue to pray, because when the sower of the seed went and sowed, the enemy went in the night and sowed tares inside there. But the Governor is sowing peace.
“When I listened to the leader of the team, His Grace Eddy Ogbonda, he said you came all the way from Eleme Junction, and stopped at major junctions, and you uttered prayers for the peace of Rivers State.”
He also said: “I, hereby want to thank you for identifying with the Governor at a time like this. At a time when it looks as if someone wants the Governor’s peace posture misunderstood as weakness.
“When someone has the strength to fight back, but refuses to fight back. That is a bigger strength; that power of restrain does not just come, it can only come from God.
“You cannot give peace, if you do not have peace within you. The Governor is not interested in any form of trouble or violence. What he is interested in is known, and it is: let there be peace in Rivers State,” he said.
In his address, leader of the group, Archbishop Eddy Ogbonda, said they had observed a week-long intensive prayers that culminated into a peace rally, which brought them to Government House, and assured the Governor that God will continue to give him victory over his adversaries while preserving Rivers State.
“It is Rivers State Prophetic Prayer Convocation and Rally 2024 with the theme: ‘Peace be still’. Of a truth, everyone of us understands that we live in a time when we need peace much more than any other thing.
“Rivers State needs peace. Everyone as individuals need peace. The country needs peace, and the world at large needs peace. So, we are here to do a peace march. We pray that God will command His peace to reign in Rivers State,” he said.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has stated that hotels, schools, and other establishments that accept payments in dollars from their customers are at risk of facing arrest.
The Chairman of EFCC, Ola Olukoyede, said this in the agency’s publication called EFCC Alert on Monday, adding that action would be taken against individuals involved in the dollarisation of the economy.
According to him, the exception is if foreigners come in to transact business and the only means of transacting is their credit card and dollar but to charge local customers in dollars or other foreign currencies would no longer be allowed.
He said charging local activities and customers in dollars is against Nigeria’s constitution.
The EFCC chairman said, “Schools that charge Nigerians in dollar, supermarkets that trade in dollar, estate developers that sell their property in dollar, hotels that are invoicing in dollar, we are coming after you and we have made arrests in that area.
“Yes, if foreigners are coming in and the only means of transacting is their credit card, and dollar, why not? You will get that.
“But document it properly as against selling things within the system, local economy and you will be using dollar as the medium of exchange, it is illegal.
“Our law does not allow for that. And we have also affected some arrests.”
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has enjoined Muslim faithful to remain steadfast to the lessons learnt during the holy month of Ramadan.
Governor Fubara stated this in his message of felicitations to Muslims as they celebrate the 2024 Eid-el-Fitr Sallah, which marks the end of the one-month Ramadan fasting.
The Governor emphasised the importance for Muslims to also uphold the tenets of Islam by exhibiting the fear of God and showing piety in their daily work.
Governor Fubara said, “We must all continue in the good attributes imbibed during the holy month of Ramadan as directed by God through His Prophet, so as to ensure peace, unity and harmony in the society for a better future.”
While praying that the essence of the festival offers them happiness, peace and prosperity in all aspects of life, Governor Fubara said he recognises and appreciates the critical role that the Muslim community continues to play in the development of Rivers State, and indeed, Nigeria at large.
Governor Fubara charged them to remain unwavering and steadfast in their commitment and positive contributions to advance the development of the State and the country.
“I enjoin you all in the State to remain calm, be patient and continue to do what is right,” the Governor added.
He wished the Muslim faithful in the State and across the country a happy Eid-el-Fitr celebration.
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