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Avengers Shelve Attack On Oil, Gas Facilities …As Ex-Militants Decry Non-Inclusion In Amnesty
The militant group that threatened to unleash mayhem in Niger Delta as from today, New Delta Avengers has temporarily suspended hostilities, in deference to South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, who intervened in the row between the militants and the state Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.
In an open letter to Clark, an Itsekiri high commander of the group, Ujato Etomi and three others, said: “With due respect and recognition of your outstanding commitment to the development of the oppressed, underdeveloped and very maligned people of the Niger Delta region, we write to you about our struggle to wrest oil producing communities of Delta State from the death grip of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration in Delta State.
“First, we like to express our utmost appreciation for your intervention in our ultimatum to the Delta State governor over our grievance with his running of the affairs of the state, and particularly oil communities. We are aware of the efforts you are making to change the mind of the recalcitrant governor, and for this, we are grateful and hopeful that we won’t have to go back to the days of rage.
“In deference to your authority on issues involving our development and efforts to change the tide of perpetual underdevelopment and treatment as second class citizens of this nation, the highest command of the NDA has decided to shelve our planned attack on major oil facilities in the region from June 30, 2017,” the group announced.
It, however, asserted: “Sir, you are aware that we had earlier withdrawn the timeframe of our proposed strike. This was done with the intention to take the government unawares and to prove to all and sundry that we are not all about bark, we are more than able to accompany our noise with louder action.
“But your personal intervention and plea through PANDEF has made us take a second thought as we are now calling off the planned strikes.
“Without prejudice to any ongoing discussion with the Federal Government, we hope that the window of peace will afford you time to take up the issues as you promised with the Delta State Government.
“We are not oblivious of your concerns that our activities are capable of further causing adverse effects on crude production and derail your ongoing engagement with the Federal Government.
“But as we said in several statements, our grouse is not with the Federal Government. Our anger is with the present Delta State administration’s deliberate neglect and deprivation of oil-bearing communities in the state, and underfunding of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), since the swearing-in of this government in 2015,” it added.
The Avengers said: “Deltans and our people in the oil and gas producing areas cannot forgot that during the 2015 election campaign, the opposition parties accused Okowa and the PDP of planning to allegedly scrap DESOPADEC. We were told that he would do this so that money will be available for him to develop Ika land and other parts of the north.
“Despite denials, all indications now point to the truth of those statements, because since Okowa became governor, the commission has been starved of funds, and all resources available to the state are now being used to develop his homeland, yet he continues to sing his ‘Ego Aria’ songs to other parts of Delta State,” the group stated.
It’s words: “Chief Edwin Clark, as our leader and father, you have access to records and data, please take time to crosscheck the percentage and costs of projects that are being done in Okowa’s areas and what he is doing in the Itsekiri, Isoko, Ijaw, Ndokwa and Urhobo areas. As a leader who has the barometer to gauge the feelings of the people of oil communities from across the state, you are definitely aware that the people are not happy because of their well-being.
“There is a lot of dissatisfaction and it is just a matter of time before pipelines and oil platforms become victims. This is why we enjoy support from every tribe and clan that produces oil and gas in delta state,” the militant group said.
According to the Avengers: “It is therefore a big surprise that despite all these signals, the governor in a crystal-clear show of his detachment from what is happening in the state, accused us of being foreigners and people from outside the state. Our plan is to prove him wrong and show him and the Federal government that we are sons and daughters of the land, who have seen our fathers and mothers, friends, brothers and sister die from deprivation and hunger.
“We want to show the governor that we know the land and how to hit where it hurts most. Oil producing area of Delta State and in the Niger Delta as a whole have been suffering in the past, but our pain and torment have not been so strong that we have become totally hopeless. Those who have contract cannot pay their workers, the communities where projects are located cannot benefit so the project become a problem to them.
“We are suffering and dying, our father, but it is better to die fighting that lay prostrate as some of our leaders, elders and the likes of HOSTCOM have been doing to the Asaba power instead of speaking the truth,” it added.
The group continued: “On Okowa’s statement that we are not from Delta but foreigners, we want to ask: Which foreigners can be so touched and committed to the suffering of people outside their land that they want to put their lives and resources on the line for the welfare of the people the man who is their governor has abandoned?
“Nonetheless, we have decided to give peace a chance as directed by you, our father, to show our respect and support for you commitment and dedication despite the odds. We though want to reiterate that our retreat is not total; it is bound by the time we face.
“Sir, we are giving you the requested window for your intervention, but we will not demobilize our armaments, hardware and men from locations where they have been camping since they were dispatched three weeks ago until we are sure of positive result from your intervention.
“We like to also appeal to you that as you work towards the resolution of this matter, our earlier demands are sacrosanct because there can be no peace without justice.
“We demand that the government must begin projects that reflect the statuses of oil-bearing communities as ‘the geese that lay the golden egg in the state’. We demand similar commitment to payments of contractors handling jobs in Okowa’s areas and those in our land.
“There must be a commitment to funding DESOPADEC in order to save the lives of contractors who are dying from the burden of debts and hopeless because of non-funding of the commission. Okowa must release over N40billion funds due to the commission since 2015 when he was sworn-in.
“The law setting up DESOPADEC is clear on funding; let the governor give to the oil-bearing communities what is their due. All outstanding funds must be released.
“And, the state House of Assembly must also ensure that monies entitled to the commission are not only released, but are adequately monitored to ensure that they are utilised for projects.
“Our national leader, please also impress on the Federal Government that it is time that they start paying oil revenues directly to the host communities because the present system put communities at the mercy of politicians, who lord over the funds and force the communities to come cap-in-hand begging for what is due them.
“We will not fold our hands and look helplessly while our people are being robbed blind by politicians and their cohorts. We remain committed to the development of our communities and those who are committed to the cause,” the group warned.
Meanwhile, some former warlords in the Niger Delta have decried the unending tussle to get them enlisted in the Federal Government-backed Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) initiated by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
The aggrieved youth from Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states told journalists in Yenagoa that they had also written a protest letter to Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo after the amnesty office flouted several agreements with them.
They argued that 18 of their members embraced the programme under the third phase in 2012 and have since then not benefitted from the funds.
Leaders of the group include, Asenekiri Oyinle, Angiama-Owei Oyindoubra, John Government, Henry Gomoromo, John Sawyer, Trydi Okpeke, Dollar Motor, Selebi Ayowei, Bobra Angese and Ekerebi Umber.
They, thereafter, approached the Federal High Court in suit number FHC/YNG/CS/102/2013, but the amnesty office has refused to make any representations or embrace the out of court settlement option, the ex-militants said.
The Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN) has called on the Federal Government and the organised labour to take all necessary steps to avert the disruption of socio-economic activities in the country.
This call was coming on the heels of the intended plans by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to embark on an indefinite strike, following a stalemate between the Federal Government and the organised labour on the removal of fuel subsidy and minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
The call was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the Director General of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, yesterday.
According to him, the position of OPSN on the impending protest/strike by the labour unions is that of deep concern, if not anxiety.
OPSN is comprised of five business membership organisations (BMOs) namely, MAN; Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA); Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA); Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) and Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists (NASSI).
Ajayi-Kadir stated: “OPSN is reiterating its call on the Federal Government and the labour unions to work sedulously to avert the looming disruption of socio-economic activities in the country.
“The economic indicators are not good and simply put, the economy cannot afford a nationwide strike at this time.
“We have keenly watched the back and forth consultations between the government on the one hand and NLC and TUC on the other. It is evident that the series of consultations have not yielded positive results and the latter has resolved, in one way or the other, to go ahead with the protest/strike.
“We are worried that adequate consideration is not given to the dire situation of the economy and the devastating/disruptive impact that a nationwide strike will have on the country at this time.
“The government and labour need to understand that our economy is being de-marketed and the livelihood of the average Nigerian is being diminished by these incessant bickering.
“While recognizing the right of the labour union to pursue the welfare of its members, we continue to implore the government to employ its best endeavours to re-engage the leadership of the unions and find an amicable ground to avert the imminent disruption in business activities that will attend the protest and nationwide strike.
“We opine that adequate consideration should be given to the grim state of the economy and the possible unintended consequences of social unrest that may result from the protests.
“Meanwhile, it is important to begin to have a conversation around how the labour unions and the government can resolve their issues without jeopardizing the livelihood of the average Nigerian and truncating our business projection and activities.
“There should be some innovation around how the conversation between the government and labour will not always end up in holding the economy hostage. The unintended consequence on the fortune of the average business and people of Nigeria is unwarranted and becoming too high.
“Government should demonstrate good faith in keeping to its promises during the negotiations with labour and abstain from making promises they cannot or do not intend to keep.
“On the other hand, labour should do a realistic assessment of its demands, within the context of prevailing economic realities and possibilities, while going the extra mile to indicate how its demands could be met.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged President Bola Tinubu to set up a presidential panel of enquiry to promptly probe the grim allegations that over US$15 billion of oil revenues, and N200 billion budgeted to repair the refineries are missing and unaccounted for between 2020 and 2021, as documented by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
SERAP urged the President to “name and shame anyone suspected to be responsible for the missing and unaccounted for public funds and to ensure their effective prosecution as well as the full recovery of any proceeds of crime.”
SERAP also urged Tinubu “to fully implement all the recommendations by NEITI in its 2021 report, and to use any recovered proceeds of crime.”
In the letter dated 23 September 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said there was a legitimate public interest in ensuring justice and accountability for these serious allegations, adding that taking these important measures would end the impunity of perpetrators.
SERAP said, “As President and Minister of Petroleum Resources, your office ought to be concerned about these damning revelations, by getting to the bottom of the allegations and ensuring that suspected perpetrators are promptly brought to justice, and any missing public funds fully recovered.”
The letter read in part: “Any failure to investigate these grave allegations, bring suspected perpetrators to justice and recover any missing public funds would have serious resource allocation and exacerbate the country’s debt burden.
“It would also create cynicism, suspicion, and eventually citizens’ distrust about the ability of your government to combat high-level official corruption, as well as deter foreign investment and limit growth and development.
“We would therefore be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel your government to comply with our request in the public interest.
“The findings by NEITI suggest a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], national anticorruption laws, and the country’s obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption.
“The allegations of corruption documented by NEITI undermine economic development of the country, trap the majority of Nigerians in poverty and deprive them of opportunities.
“Your government has a constitutional duty to ensure transparency and accountability in the spending of the country’s wealth and resources.
“According to the 2021 report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), government agencies including the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NNPC) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPDC) failed to remit $13.591 million and $8.251 billion to the public treasury.
“The NNPC and NPDC failed to remit over 70% of these public funds. NEITI wants both the NNPC and NPDC to be investigated, and for the missing public funds to be fully recovered.
“The report also shows that in 2021, the State Owned Enterprises (SOE) and its subsidiaries (the NNPC Group) reportedly spent US$6.931billion on behalf of the Federal Government but without appropriation by the National Assembly. The money may be missing.
“The NNPC also reportedly obtained a loan of $3 billion in 2012 purportedly to settle subsidy payments due to petroleum product marketers but there is no disclosure of the details of the loan, subsidy and the beneficiaries of the payments.
“The report also shows that N9.73 billion was paid to the NNPC as pipeline transportation revenue earned from Joint Venture operations but the money was neither remitted to the Federation nor properly accounted for. The NPDC in 2021 also failed to remit $7.61 million realized from the sale of crude oil.
“The report documents that about N200 billion was spent on refineries rehabilitation between 2020 and 2021 but “none of the refineries was operational in 2021 despite the spending.’ NEITI wants the spending to be investigated, as the money may be missing.
“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] imposes clear responsibility on your government to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of Chapter 2 of the constitution. Section 15(5) imposes the responsibility on your government to ‘abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power’ in the country.
“Under Section 16(1) of the Constitution, your government has a responsibility to ‘secure the maximum welfare, freedom and happiness of every citizen on the basis of social justice and equality of status and opportunity.
“Section 16(2) further provides that, ‘the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good.
“Similarly, articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption also impose legal obligations on your government to ensure proper management of public affairs and public funds, and to promote sound and transparent administration of public affairs.
“The UN Convention against Corruption and the African Union Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption to which Nigeria is a state party obligate your government to effectively prevent and investigate the plundering of the country’s wealth and natural resources and hold public officials and non-state actors to account for any violations.
“Specifically, article 26 of the UN convention requires your government to ensure ‘effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions’ including criminal and non-criminal sanctions, in cases of grand corruption.
“Article 26 complements the more general requirement of article 30, paragraph 1, that sanctions must take into account the gravity of the corruption allegations.
“Nigeria is also a participating state of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which aims to foster greater governmental accountability for the use of natural resource wealth through the creation of a set of international norms on revenue transparency.
“EITI also aims to tackle corruption, poverty and conflict associated with natural resource wealth. Nigeria has the obligations to implement the EITI Standard, which sets out the transparency norms with which participating States including Nigeria must comply.
The Global Index (TGI) has released its ranking of countries’ external debts categorised in trillions and billions of Dollars.
In the trillion Dollar category, according to the debt figures posted on its verified X handle @TheGlobal_Index on Saturday, the United States topped the chart of most indebted nations with $20.27trillion, followed by the UK, and France with $8.72trillion, and $6.35trillion, respectively.
In that same trillion category, China, Switzerland, and Singapore were the least with $2.02trillion, $2trillion, and $1.55trillion, respectively.
The ranking shows USA: $20.27trillion; UK: $8.72trillion; France: $6.35trillion; Germany: $5.67trillion; Netherlands: $4.34trillion; Luxembourg: $4.30trillion; Japan: $4.25trillion; and Australia: $3.15trillion.
Others in the trillion category include, Ireland: $3trillion; Italy: $2.5trillion; Spain: $2.33trillion; Canada: $2.12 trillion; China: $2.02trillion; Switzerland: $2trillion; and Singapore: $1.55trillion.
The Global Index also rated other countries in the billion Dollar category.
They include Brazil, Norway, and India ranking first, second, and third with $700billion; $651billion; and $555billion; respectively.
In the same billion Dollar category, Nigeria, Iran and North Korea were the least with $27billion; $8billion; and $5billion; respectively.
The full ranking shows Brazil: $700billion; Norway: $651billion;India: $555billion; Russia: $500billion; South Korea: $457billion; Mexico: $456billion; Turkey: $455billion; Portugal: $401billion; Indonesia: $400billion; Argentina: $280billion; UAE: $240billion; Saudi Arabia: $205billion; and South Africa: $180billion.
The rest are, Qatar: $170billion; Colombia: $135billion; Israel: $135billion; Ukraine: $120billion; Pakistan: $110billion; Vietnam: $100billion; Philippines: $82billion; Bangladesh: $50billion; Kenya: $30billion; Nigeria: $27billion; Iran: $8billion; and North Korea: $5billion.
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