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TEN PERCENT OF OIL MONEY SHOULD NOT GO DIRECTLY TO COMMUNITIES -UDUAGHAN
TO START WITH, HOW WOULD YOU CHARACTERISE THE UPDATE ON THE POST-AMNESTY SITUATION? Well, let me thank you. On the post amnesty situation, I think we are on course. When I say we, I mean we and the federal government, the state government, and various communities. There are challenges, no doubt. Challenges that expected and as they arrive, they are being dealt with. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE CHALLENGES ARE AND HOW YOU HAVE HANDLED THEM? Talking about the challenges? They were the issues that led to the people carrying guns. They had to be looked at. These were issues of marginalisation at the federal, states and local government levels, and of course marginalisation at the level of the oil industry. Marginalisation in the sense that the people from the oil-producing communities are not getting the benefits of the oil-producing community, either at the political and even at the business level, they are not getting the benefits. Issues coupled with the damage of the environment are really the main crux of the matter. Now, the federal government has said, now, look, you drop your guns. The young boys have complied, they have dropped their guns. Why they carry the guns that is what I mean by the challenges. We had a lot of youths who were in the creeks carrying guns - thousands of them. There are estimates, some say ten thousand, eleven thousand, twenty thousand, but for those of us who know the place very well, we know that there are over twenty thousand youths involved. You have to rehabilitate them. In rehabilitating them, first of all, you have to start with re-orientation, you have to bring them to normal society, those young ones who have been in the creeks for a long time who have been disconnected from normal life, who have been disconnected from law and order, who right now do not even respect the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria while in the creeks. They are now to respect the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You have to make them know that they should live in a society that is different from the society they were living in and you also have to let them know that they have to yield to an acceptable means of livelihood and not illegal means they’ve been used to. They were involved in things that could give them quick money. But, now, they have to do some work that might not bring quick money -money that would be enough to take care of themselves. So, we have to give them this orientation and of course, we have to plan for their future, which is the rehabilitation we are talking about. The federal government, in doing this, has mandated the states to develop rehabilitation camps which some of the states have done. In Delta, we’ve been able to develop two camps, but developing a camp is not so cheap. And then, secondly, because of the numbers, it is difficult to develop a camp that will take up all the youths. So, in our state for instance, we have camps that are being occupied partly by the ones from our state and the ones from two other states that do not have camps at all. The camps are being managed, not from the camp but from places where people can keep an eye on them. The federal government is also looking at ways to getting more camps outside the Niger-Delta region. That is the biggest challenge anyway. How do you deal with the youths that were armed and have not dropped their guns? You also have to think of the youths who did not carry arms at all because if you pay attention to only those who carry arms, so they don’t feel ignored. So, there is also plan for people who did not carry arms at all. The other issue is infrastructure which is part of the issue of marginalisation. At the federal level, Mr. President has accelerated putting major infrastructure in that area. The government ones are the Lagos-Calabar coastal road, from Lagos, Ogun, Ondo going the way to Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom to Calabar. Those will be the local highways. It takes a few hours passing all the states in the Niger-Delta. Also, the railway lines from Calabar to Uyo, Port-Harcourt and Yenagoa, by passing Warri to Benin in the first place. Later Benin to Lagos. So, those are two major infrastructures the federal government is doing in addition to the roads and bridges being undertaken by NDDC. You would have heard that in the last two weeks, NDDC awarded contract of about N200 billion in the region. They are mainly roads and bridges. For Delta, we have about three major roads that have been awarded. We connect lands to the rivers. We connect places like Burutu and Escravos, etcetera. These are contracts that the federal government has awarded but were accelerated after the amnesty. Then, for us as states, we’re also doing our own infrastructures, the basic amenities of life; housing, water, light. We are providing for the community. We are doing it as Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC). But, in addition to that, we are doing some major infrastructure work in the riverine areas. Apart from the bridges that we are constructing, there is a new town development because those communities have been in those places for years and lived in thatch houses. ‘Governments have to prove themselves that they can be trusted’ What we are saying is, let’s build new towns and open those communities. The first one we are taking is Okerenkoko which was affected by the crisis. Already, we’ve awarded that contract and the thing we are doing is to clean up the community including all the houses that were damaged, do sand-filling, re-plan and rebuild the community entirely; houses and schools plus hospitals and also some areas we’ve kept aside for them to be able to farm. So, we’re rebuilding that as a model for the other communities. We are doing that for the next one year. We are also building for the Itsekiri community, which is Ugborodo. So, in terms of infrastructure at the federal and state levels, these are some of the plans. Also, on the issue of participation in the oil business and Mr. President has graciously said that communities which have been in trouble over the years should be part of the oil business. He has also agreed that 10 per cent of the government shareholding will go to the people of the oil producing areas. So, the challenges are how do you handle these funds? But the details are still being worked out. But what we have suggested is that the 10 per cent should not be given directly to the communities. Instead, put it in a trust fund that will be managed either by international fund managers like Goldman Sachs because this money is quite much or national fund managers like the PFAs, people who handle pension funds, they can manage the funds. It is the interest from that trust fund that is going to be used by those communities. The interest I can tell you will be much. Even if the oil finishes tomorrow, that principal is still there and year in and year out, for several years, for generations to come, that principal will be generating interest. So, we have that kind of model that we have suggested which hopefully would be acceptable to the federal government. But, having said all these, the other challenge is patience on the part of especially, formerly armed youths. You know, they are not used to the way which government works; government is slow but efficient. They want things to be done today, today, unlike yesterday. The challenge is to let them know that these things are being done; they should have trust in government because as at today, they still don’t have trust based on previous experiences. Not just the armed youths alone, but even the people of the community; that is the women and children, they don’t trust any government. But, governments have to prove themselves that they can be trusted. That’s where we are in the area of challenges. THAT’S ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS BECAUSE THERE ARE ALREADY POCKETS OF STATEMENTS FROM DIFFERENT MILITANT GROUPS THAT THE MATTER IS MOVING RATHER SLOWLY. HOW ARE YOU GOING TO WORK THAT OUT? Working it out requires engagement. From the time I became governor, I kept saying that managing the Niger-Delta situation requires patience and engagement of those that are aggrieved and to carry it out. And that engagement has to continue. Fortunately, we have a president who is passionate and understanding on the issues of the Niger-Delta, who feels that it is true that some people are marginalised. He accepts that concept that some people have been marginalised and he is ready to deal with it. So, I’m very comfortable, I’m very happy that I have a president who is ready to deal with it in that direction. With that, there are some of us who have been in this issue for quite some time and we are also engaging. Like you said, there are pockets of dissidents. It just requires continuous explaining to them. When you leave them alone; it is like saying you go to hell. Of course, they will show you that there is hell. But with all the structures on ground and not mere talking, some actions must start. In Delta state for instance, we have started our action. We have moved to the communities. The federal government has also started action by awarding a N200 billion contract through NDDC. That’s a major action! It is now for the contractor to mobilise to site in the next few weeks and let people see them working. Then, on the issue of rehabilitation of the young ones, we quickly face the task and let them move on. We expect the pockets of dissents here and there. What I’m very glad with is that the leaders of the armed youths are very serious about not going back to carry arms. So, they are part of the team helping to keep the peace. TALKING ABOUT THE LEADERS OF THE CAMPS, THEY ARE NOT SPEAKING IN ONE VOICE LIKE TOMPOLO, OKAH, AND YOU TALK ABOUT THE AARON GROUP... You see, they have different views on how to handle this situation and they would always canvass those views. But I think that Mr. President in his wisdom is also trying to manage the various views. There might be some dissents. A lot of people have been working hard to ensure that they eventually come together. You know that the general opinion is that the Niger-Delta problem is not just limited to the region. It is a wide-held view that the real problems emanated from outsiders that imposed themselves on the resources and people of the area. PEOPLE INDEED SEE THE NIGER-DELTA GOVERNORS AS MARCHING ON A VERY TIGHT ROPE AS IN TRYING TO SATISFY THE PEOPLE AND ANOTHER OLIGARCHY COMING FROM OUTSIDE TRYING TO IMPOSE THEMSELVES ON POLITICS OF THE NIGER-DELTA... Yes, as far as the Niger-Delta is concerned, there is no doubt that a lot of people take interest in Niger-Delta issues, well, for very obvious reasons. First, it is still the bread-basket of the nation. So, anything that happens in Niger-Delta affects Nigeria. That is what happened on the 13th of May; that led to the production of oil hovering around one million barrel of oil per day and we have three million barrels per day. And today, with the peace process, we are now clapping for ourselves. We’ve developed to 2.4 million barrels. That show that whatever happens in Niger-Delta affects the whole country. So, naturally, people would take interest. Secondly, outsiders in Niger-Delta also have their oil-related businesses in the Niger-Delta. So, when anything happens there, their businesses slow down entirely. So, they are bound to be concerned about whatever is happening in the Niger-Delta. Because of this, we have people from outside the country. Whatever happens in Niger-Delta affect the economies of the countries that buy the oil from Nigeria. If there is a shortfall, it affects them. So, the interest in that area is not just Niger-Delta people alone; but also other Nigerians who have things to benefit from the Niger-Delta. So, as a governor in the Niger-Delta region, you are conscious of this. Sometimes, you have this pressure coming from outside your state; you have to be able to withstand it and manage it and deal with it. WHEN THERE WAS A LONG PERIOD OF PEACE, SOME PEOPLE SAID THAT YOU WERE ABLE TO ENGAGE SOME OF THOSE MEN IN SAFEGUARDING THE PIPES AND ALL OF THAT. THAT YOU WERE POST-PONING THE EVIL DAY BECAUSE EVENTUALLY THE PEOPLE SAFEGUARDING THE PIPES WOULD EVENTUALLY GO THERE AND DESTROY THE PIPES. AND WHEN THE WHOLE CRISIS BLEW UP, THEY SAID THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN SAYING, THAT THERE WAS NO WAY THINGS WILL NOT IMPLODE... Yes, I heard all sorts of things, that I was buying the peace. But, you see, before I became governor, I had been part of the management of the issues. I had enough experience to put up the structure that I put up. I was there for almost two years before there was a flash. Not that one was not expecting that at some point there would be a flash, but let me explain what happened. Now, I was part of the management before I came in and between the time that I came in. We have been able to convert some of these young people on the side of government or the side of normal living, so, they had dropped their guns. Our projection was that with time, they would totally drop their guns. And I can tell you that one of the reasons that it was easy for the amnesty to succeed was that many of them were already tired of doing what they were doing and were really ready to drop their guns. And why were they ready? Because we had been engaging them over time. At the federal level, some of us were already campaigning for amnesty which Mr. President graciously accepted. And you notice that before explosion, Mr. President had pronounced the amnesty. And why did he pronounce the amnesty? Because people had been engaging him, talking to him, this is what we believe we should do and he had accepted it. So, what happened on 13th of May, nobody can still tell the story till today because it was neither from the military leadership nor from the leadership of the youths. It was the lower levels of both sides. It was a disagreement between the lower levels of the military and the youths. Of course, the leadership of both the military and the armed youths had to take positions to protect their people. So, in such situations, people would also accept that in that period of almost two years, there was an improvement in the general situation of Niger-Delta. LET’S MOVE TO OTHER AREAS. YOU LAMENTED CORRUPTION THAT TOOK PLACE IN DESOPADEC AND IT WAS QUITE A NEWS ITEM. WHAT IS THE STATE OF THINGS RIGHT NOW? WHAT WAS THE BACKGROUND TO IT AND WHAT YOU HAVE DONE SO FAR? DESOPADEC: it was just a new outfit that the law has actually put in place by my predecessor and I started operating it. It was a commission that was put up to develop oil producing areas in the state. And the 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation that was coming to the state goes to that place. Now, the establishment of DESOPADEC is as a result of the agitation of the oil-producing communities over the years that this money should be directly given to the communities. There was a bill. As the commission started, there was excitement that this money had come. There was not enough of what I would call background information of the body. So, there was that initial instability. It’s like a plane taking-off, you know there has to be that initial stability where you put on your seatbelt before the plane stabilises. So, it was at that stage between the taking-off that a few things were happening. Some people saw it as this is our share of the cake, let us go and cut it and they were cutting too big. Some people were cutting bigger than they should have cut. So, I now had to intervene and manage that place. So, right now, they are quite stable, I’m still deeply involved to ensure that it is properly stabilised. ARE PEOPLE GOING TO LOSE THEIR JOBS IN THE LONG RUN? As at today, the truth is that the place is overstaffed. But, we have problems of unemployment, poverty and suffering. So, if you drop people, you are creating another army of unemployed persons who are going to be aggrieved, angry and hungry, and they can become nuisance to the society. But, if you continue to keep them, you are going to have an over-bloated wage bill. So, you have to balance it. Now, what we have done is, there were no doubt there were ghost workers. So, we have tried to weed those ones out. We had this group of people who were earning double salaries from DESOPADEC which we also had to weed out. And of course, the salaries of the workers there were much higher than the environment. So, we had to curb that to a realistic level. I believe that the way we are going, at the end, when we finish what we call all these anomalies, we would re-assess and see where we are. But, for now, we are not dropping any worker. DO YOU GIVE YOURSELF A TIMELINE TO GET THESE THINGS DONE? It is difficult to give a timeline of the business because as you finish one stage, you discover something that you have to go and attack it. But, it’s been going on well. The total wage bill has reduced drastically from what it used to be. ‘DELTA WITHOUT OIL’. HOW FAR WITH THAT? Oh, that one is going on well. First, let me explain what it simply means. And I’m happy that the whole country is catching on it now because when we started it, people thought that we were mad, that we didn’t know what we were doing. Now, what does it mean? It simply means that one of the Niger-Delta states that is rich in oil is giving a lot of revenue to the country depends 100 per cent on oil. And at the time we came in, the production of oil had dropped because the revenue from the state depended on the production of oil. We just thought to ourselves, if we continue like this, a day would come when the oil would finish, then what happens to the economy of the state? So, we coined that ‘Delta without oil’ in all our plans. And that simply means, yes, the oil and gas are there; we would still be using them in managing our economy. But let us also use that oil and gas to develop other sectors such that if the oil finishes, then, the economy can still continue and that is ‘Delta without oil’.   
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