The ongoing tour of the oil-rich Niger Delta region by the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo-led Federal Government team is receiving high level of acceptance by the people of the region.
At least, the bombing and destruction of oil and gas installations have died down, unlike in the past when government was applying force aimed at crushing the boys. The millions of Naira expended on war logistics, huge crude oil loss and cost of repairing the destroyed installations directly affected the nation’s economy which is struggling under recession. This goes a long way to prove that to jaw-jaw is far better than to fight.
Report has it that on getting to Oporoza community, the headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, in Delta State, Osinbajo expressed deep shock and pity over the age-long neglect of the oil host community. One wonders how he felt on getting to Oloibiri in Bayelsa State, where a desolate well-head, instead of the much talked about oil museum represents Nigeria’s official indicator of where crude oil was first stuck at commercial volume over sixty years ago.
How would the professor of law, in his discerning mind, have felt, if he had gotten to Umuechem, a community in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, where inspite of the billion dollars from its high grade Bonny light, the area is starved of Federal Government presence and virtually all social amenities, except the recent interventions of the state government under the leadership of Governor Nyesom Wike.
As Osinbajo resumes his tour, what awaits him are more sorry sights of underdevelopment, absence of good drinking water, pollution and pitiable relics of history.
But beyond rhetorics, no one can tell for sure what may come out of the tour when Osinbajo gets back to Abuja. After all, there was a bigger talk, just few years ago, in the name of National Constitutional Conference. The conference went with its colourful drama, the walk-outs, echoes of 50 per cent derivation fund and resource control, giving the impression of a serious business, but today, confusion has beclouded the vision of that bigger talk such that no one can make either the head or tail of the conference which had stirred up so much promises and hope for people of the region.
The journey for economic emancipation of the region brought about the Willinks Commission of the 1950s, but inspite robost presentations and agitations, not much can be said to have been achieved except such paltry gifts from stingy fingers as one per cent, three per cent and 13 per cent derivation. No permutation or formular, either of the oil or modern mathematics has ever scored 13 per cent as pass mark; it’s always at least 50 per cent.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) which came after the defunct Oil Minerals Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) and the recent Niger Delta Ministry could have also made meaningful development impact but for poor management.
Why addressing stakeholders at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Osinbajo was frank and sincere when he said that after serving his National Youth Service NYSC in former Bendel State some 38 years, “it is therefore extremely discomfiting to know that we are still confronted with the very same situation. An edifying lack of development and access to basic amenities in the abundance of plenty.
“A situation typified by continued environmental degradation and a disturbing lack of opportunities for those who can no longer carry out traditional occupations like fishing and farming”.
The Acting President noted that, “what we now have is an unhappy cycle of discontent sometimes expressed by a resort to violence and vandalism and drawing in response a strengthening of security managements and a gamut of palliative measures”, adding that this vicious cycle cannot continue as it builds needless tension, promising that the federal government would take steps to bring development to the region.
It is only a change in the way we do things in the region as it is only the Federal Government, oil multinationals, states and communities that can bring the much desired change and result we desire.
The Osinbajo-led team appears to have set the right tone for the desired result when the government jettisoned its former strategy of force and opted for peaceful dialogue. This Federal Government change in approach has raised the people’s confidence in the sincerity of government to realise promised change.
Furtherrance to the quest for lasting solution to the  crisis-ridden oil host communities where peace has remained elusive for decades to be a meaning venture, instead of the usual picnic, the team must find out why the communities even when they have abundant after black gold that rules the world’s economy, they remain absolutely poor.
The mass poverty in the communities occasioned by economic deprivation must change such that marginalisation of the host communities  by oil operators and the government be brought to an end.
The idea of declaring natives, including their graduate sons and daughters, as not qualified for employment by oil operators much stop. Let the graduates be trained on the job to acquire requisite experience. Labour contractors excesses must be checked.
The Federal Government must show serious presence in initiating big projects that can touch the lives of the people directly and creating mass employment to justify the 60 per cent equity it enjoys in the sharing of oil proceeds.
Federal Government agencies which execute mega dollar jobs should expand their operational offices in the region and employ people in order to amiliorate their plight.
The non-completion of the East/West Road after so many years is a goose pimple on the nose of the government. Let this present administration try to complete the project in view of the economic and strategic importance of the road to the region and the nation.
The Train Seven aspect of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Bonny should commence so also the Brass LNG in view of the huge employment opportunities it would create for the region as well as the revenue to the nation.
In the area of pollution, the oil operators who are unwilling to operate according to international standard particularly in changing aging facilities and equipment should be sanctioned by the regulatory agencies.
The idea of gas flaring that has ended in most countries of the world must be made to stop. The idea of leaving the issue at the convenience of some stakeholders with inconsequential fines not commensurate with the effect of the pollution and damage should be urgently reviewed.
The youth of the region must also change the attitude of breaking or destroying installation as a strategy of agitation because of the damage it causes to the environment and national revenue.
There is also need for the government to review its stand on the illegal refineries especially with the promise of encouraging modular refineries in the area. There is need to co-opt the illegal operators and co-ordinate them in such a way that their standard of operation becomes acceptable.
The idea of destroying them by burning by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps is counterproductive because it aids destruction of the environment.
Nigeria Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) should wake up and seriously think of how to put the Act in actual practice and this they can do by decentralizing their offices in most relevant local government areas. It should not be an urban issue.
Skills acquisition programmes and scholarship aimed at making youths in oil host communities acquire skill must be taken seriously. The idea of selling off the starter packs after the training graduands is bad. So let communities liaise with government agencies, oil firms and other stakeholders to see to better handling of the programmes. The idea of selling scholarship chances in a community when there are eligible persons in the area would not promote peaceful co-existence.
As the new parley by the federal government has set in a new beginning, there is need to also forgive those militants who were involved in pipeline vandalism as a way of agitation. Therefore Amadin Ogbeide of Delta State and indeed every other militant agitations being hunted by the security agencies should be pardoned.
NDDC must be made to be an interventionist agency in the real sense of it. The bad eggs in the system responsible for so many failed programmes and abandoned projects must be flushed out.

Chris Oluoh