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Their demand is right. The oil is from
their area and it is fair that some should go to them. They suffer more
from the effects of oil exploration. Therefore, they should be
compensated.
One of the ways is to make sure they are
given fair treatment in the allocation of oil blocks. I read through
all their demands, none of them is unreasonable. Their demands are fair
and none of them challenged the unity of Nigeria. So, they should be
considered.
Other parts of Nigeria have no more
expertise than they have. We should not ask them how they are going to
handle the oil blocks.
How many other parts of Nigeria are
being asked such a question? They are capable just as other Nigerians.
So, their demand is not political; it is fair. •Balarabe Musa (Former Kaduna State Governor)
In my view, that demand should be the
minimum minimorum. It pleases God that crude oil is discovered in their
land. They shouldn’t be asking for oil blocks as a form of negotiation.
It only shows how unjust and inequitable our government has been.
We hear that oil has been found in the
North. We pray that oil should be found in every state in the North.
Imagine the oil found in the North being shared among the people of the
South-South or 80 per cent of it being shared out. How will they
(northerners) feel?
So, the government should rush to yield
to the demand for the oil blocks. Without justice and equity, things
will not work. Things of the past must be corrected. For equity, they
should have the majority of the blocks and every other part of Nigeria
should have some. That is why we are one country. •Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, (Former Anambra State Governor)
In the spirit of oneness, unity and
equity, you cannot go to somebody’s land, tap resources and say he has
no right in his domain. So, their demand, to an extent, must be seen in
the spirit of oneness and equity. Without any bias, they are entitled to
oil blocks. Government should share oil blocks across board and let
every Nigerian benefit.
This is a demand that they don’t,
ordinarily, have to make. A responsible government believes all
Nigerians are equal and should be treated without bias. No section of
the country should be considered as second class.
The oil blocks belong to Nigeria and
they are Nigerians. So, they are entitled to them. The government also
has to consider some of their plights. You cannot be reaping from
somebody’s domain and don’t allow them to benefit from it. It is not
right. In the spirit of justice, they are saying they are being
maginalised, the government should look into those areas and let them
participate. It is all about give and take.
The militant activities in the region
will stop if the people are properly engaged. It will naturally die off.
But when you subject them to abject poverty and deprive them of their
right, you are asking for their trouble. There will be uprising from
every angle. For peace to reign, there must be justice. Let there be a
leader that will look at the country as one primary constituency; this
is what we are looking up to. •Yerima Shettima (President, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum)
If you can give oil blocks to people
from Sokoto and Maiduguri, you must give to those from the South-South
too. There are people who are inconsiderate and myopic. If oil blocks
are to be given to anybody from the South-South, they should be given to
people who know about the business. You can’t give oil blocks to
riff-raff. They should be able to present people who can operate oil
blocks.
It is not the bidding, it requires
whether the person has the technical capacity to own an oil block. If
they can present capable persons, it is good. Let them compete with
every other person. But if the blocks are distributed to them anyhow,
they will just fight and kill one another. They have the right to own
oil blocks. The configuration should actually change.
Gone are the days when 70 per cent of
oil blocks were given to the people of a particular nationality; things
have changed. Everybody should have access to oil blocks when they show
their capacity. And we should make sure that the clamour for oil blocks
is reduced by bringing to the front burner the development of
agriculture and solid minerals. Diversification is very important now.
Responsible people should be allowed
access to the national economy not in the name of South-South or
South-East but as Nigerians. After all, Lagos has oil and it is not
making a noise. •Mohammed Abdulrahman (A member, Arewa Consultative Forum)
Asking for oil blocks is turning a
national discourse into a personal discussion because oil blocks can
only be given to individuals or companies. But they are claiming to be
representing their people. So, under what category would their demand
for oil blocks fall into? I can understand them asking for greater
devolution of power, asking for a higher percentage of derivation.
There may be the need for a balance in
the distribution of oil blocks; the need to recognise all nationalities.
If the information we have is that 80 per cent of oil blocks in the
country are vested in the people of a particular nationality, there
could be problems there. So, we may be talking in terms of some measures
of fairness but not necessarily in terms of a personal request for oil
blocks. Who are they making the request for – an institution or
themselves? In my own view, the thing to ask for is greater derivation
arising from oil income, which they are entitled to because of the
consequences of pollution on their area.
However, going by antecedents, how many
Nigerians own oil blocks and in what way have they benefited their
nationalities and the generality of the people? What the focus should be
on is what can benefit the larger percentage of the people rather than
what can benefit individuals. There is always an emotional angle to the
reality that 80 per cent of the existing oil blocks are being owned by
the people of a particular zone in the country. Of course, that needs to
be redressed. Or else, we are saying the technology required for the
exploration of oil is vested in only those people, which is not true. •Wale Oshun, (Chairman Afenifere Renewal Group)
I think the emphasis being placed on oil
blocks by the media is blackmail against the Niger Delta people.
Sixteen demands were presented to the President.
Some of the major demands are the
community’s involvement in oil management, relocation of corporate and
operational headquarters of multinational oil companies to Niger Delta,
fiscal federalism, among others.
The demand for oil blocks is just a
subsidiary. The basis behind it is that over the years when the military
was in power, northern leaders used their discretional power to award
so many oil blocks to their people. The Niger Delta people that own the
oil do not have the same privilege. That demand for owning oil blocks,
first and foremost, is not the major demand of the people of Niger
Delta. There is nothing wrong in it.
There are a lot of northerners who own
oil blocks without people knowing where these oil blocks are located.
For me and the organisation I speak for, what is important is community
ownership of oil, not individual.
That is what will address the Niger
Delta issue. Oil block demand is to respond to similar ownership by
northerners. There is nothing wrong in the Niger Delta people, who own
the oil and suffer its effects, owning oil blocks as well. •Mr. Eric Omare (Spokesperson for Ijaw Youth Council)
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