Protocols
1. It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to this next chapter in our collective effort at defining a dignified space for the Ijaw Nation within the Nigerian state. Bayelsa State is very pleased to host this summit for us to have a frank conversation on the “Nigerian State and the Ijaw Question.”
2. Hopefully, we will find a common approach and a widely agreeable resolution to the many issues that vex the polity.
3. Nigeria is going through extraordinary upheavals, ceaselessly buffeted by crisis of one description or another. The deteriorating crisis of insecurity all over the country, has put Nigeria on the brink, leading to significant expressions of concern and worry across the country and beyond. We are all alarmed at the very perilous times we are going through as a result of terrorism that has spread from the North East to North West and North Central and is steadily moving southwards, with murderous bandits and herdsmen competing to outperform the world’s deadliest terrorist organization, Boko Haram.
4. I thus consider this thoughtful initiative to aggregate the views of Ijaw patriots and nationalists and begin the necessary interventions that will hopefully quench the flaming tensions of anarchy, distrust, brigandage and insecurity that threaten to overwhelm the polity.
5. The distinguished origins of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), of which I have an intimate and long-term relationship, has always been about justice, equality, equity and standing up for the common good. We were birthed for such a time as this.
6. I am gratified that where different ethnic nationalities have been able to articulate clear and united positions, the Ijaw Nation will no longer respond with loud silence. Some doubted the capacity of the INC to remain strong and refocused; determined as ever to defend and promote the Ijaw cause for socio-economic, political justice and equity. They obviously know nothing of the grit and resilience of the Ijaw spirit.
7. The attendance by the crème de la crème from across the Ijaw Nation gathered here today is heartwarming. It underscores our unalloyed commitment as a people to preserve our legacy of unity and togetherness, particularly in these uncertain times that our nation is navigating. I am thankful that the INC is providing a torch to illuminate the path in these dire circumstances for our people.
8. All is not well with Nigeria today. Major fault lines that have long been papered over by successive constitutions, governments and leaders, are becoming clearly exposed. For too long, we have only operated a pseudo-federalism. In reality, what we have is a unitary system of government dressed in borrowed federal robes. We cannot procrastinate in returning to the terms of engagement where the regions or states expropriate their own resources and pay taxes to the center. More and more, we are creating a caste system where the categorization of subordinates and super-ordinates is entrenched. Not surprisingly, states and ethnic nationalities are increasingly clamoring for self-determination or even outright secession in some extreme cases.
9. I am proposing, without insisting, that the ideal situation will be the devolution of power from the centre such that the federal government will be responsible majorly for issues of currency, foreign policy, national security, command the military, appoint ambassadors and any other matter that have common bearing on all states. But I am willing to abdicate my views, if the superior counsel of the summit, holds a contrary position.
10. While it is my hope that Nigeria will find and continue to find reasons to coexist peacefully, equitably and justly, we cannot pretend that all is well. Gatherings such as this prepare us for any eventuality. Winston Churchill said: “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war.”
11. I am fully persuaded those noble interventions as this will rescue the nation from the abyss. And I congratulate the leadership of the INC for this thoughtful initiative.
12. One of the issues I am deeply concerned about is the delinquent exploitation and mining of oil and the grave harm being done to communities, livelihoods, and environment. Indeed, and innocent lives being needlessly sacrificed on the altar of greed.
13. Recognizing the urgency of the situation and the responsibility that our positions of leadership impose, I strongly believe that one agenda of this summit should be to stand in solidarity with our people, who are in imminent danger of extinction, and impose stringent ethical responsibility on oil exploration companies. As Dwight D. Eisenhower notes, “though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace.”
14. Coming on the heels of the Conference of Parties 26 (COP26) at Glasgow, Scotland, in the global action to curb pollution, we are particularly vexed by the massive oil spill that has continued unabated at Santa Barbara River in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State due to equipment failure at the AITEO Eastern Exploration and Production Company facility. Over a month since it started, it has led to extensive pollution of the rivers, waterways and farmlands.
15. Their failure to stem this unprecedented blowout is by no means an isolated incident. But, sadly, the recurrent pattern and indifference has characterized the oil and gas industry for decades. I am gravely disappointed, that often when there is spillage from the breakdown of their usually archaic equipment oil companies continue to deploy in our region, they play the Ostrich and leave the local communities to their own fate. They should not assume that such willful negligence of their facilities and disregard for human life and the environment, will not be accounted for.
16. Whereas we appreciate the oil and gas sector’s current, continuing and future importance to our country, there should be no doubt about our commitment to stop the impunity that threatens the present and undermines future survival of our people. No one should take our hospitality for granted or doubt our determination to protect the sanctity of our communities and the livelihoods of the people. We will not swallow phlegm in the name of decorum.
17. Another issue that has continued to vex the sensibilities of the peoples of the Niger Delta and we the Ijaw in particular, is the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). I have described the PIA as evil and oppressive to people of the Niger Delta. The three per cent allotted to host communities in the Act is paltry and we will continue to oppose it until justice is served.
18. There has also been much ado about what is euphemistically called 13% derivation given to oil producing states. We, in fact, view this more from the prism of 87% deprivation. In this contemplation, I am reminded of the inimitable words of Frederick Douglas, an American social reformer, writer, statesman and former slave that, “where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
19. Other topics that I believe will occupy our conversation include but not limited to amendment to our flawed 1999 Constitution, the practice of true federalism, additional local government areas for Bayelsa State and additional state creation for the Ijaw Nation.
20. Our Ijaw ancestors were community-oriented and believed in the power of oneness. It is thus unbefitting that we should have communal crisis within the boundaries of Ijaw enclaves. I take particular cognizance of the inter-clan conflicts between Ijaw clans bordering Bayelsa and Rivers States over oil wells. Disagreements between brothers, otherwise easily pacified, are being exploited for political mischief and financial gain. We cannot afford to be factionalized, especially in these desperate times. There is a popular African proverb – “When brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father’s estate.” I urge the INC to step into such conflicting situations and restore peace across Ijaw land.
21. Today, the INC is challenged more than ever to take on a courageous stand for the very survival of the Ijaw together with partners and allies. Cooperation with INC’s allies, when there is a dire necessity of preventing irreversible loss of livelihood and resources, is not only crucial but inevitable. I am confident we will identify and continue to work with all parties of goodwill.
22. This summit and many more such as this must escalate and interrogate the paradigm of Niger Delta beyond oil. Although the Niger Delta has traditionally been the “goose that lays the golden financial egg” in Nigeria, our intrinsic potential lies beyond oil. Harnessing this potential has become an imperative given the expectations of lower oil prices and unstable character of the price of crude oil at the international oil market whose benefits we hardly get. Apart from the devastation that oil exploitation has visited on our land, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), which began about a decade ago, has brought about several technological innovations. These innovations may likely relegate the use and overwhelming global dependence on oil to the background, if not to the abyss, in about three decades from now. Consequently, we cannot postpone the conversation about the Ijaw nation and the Niger Delta beyond oil.
23. Fortunately, we have the example of several petro-dollar economies that realized how highly susceptible to fluctuations and the degree of volatility of crude oil prices, and had no choice than to diversify their economies. Good examples of these countries that have successfully diversified their economies include Indonesia, Malaysia Norway, Qatar, and United Arab Emirate (UAE). It is instructive to note, for example, that only 15 per cent of UAE’s GDP is accounted for from the proceeds of crude oil for the past nearly two decades due to their strong adherence to the economic philosophy of diversification. Let us raise to the task and beat a new path to our sustainable prosperity.
24. You can depend on my unwavering support and commitment when the issues of the Nigeria State and the Ijaw Question are concerned. I pledge to give my support and my action to the Ijaw nation.
25. In conclusion, I wish to recall the sacrifice of Major Isaac Adaka Boro and his comrades in arms, our heroes, whose lives of self-abnegation remain enduring legacy and example for us all. The concerns that agitated them many years ago have not been resolved and we are confident that their labour will not be in vain.
26. It is on that note that I thank you all for the honour and pleasure of making this address as part of this epoch-making event under the auspices of our foremost umbrella organisation, the Ijaw National Congress (INC). Please be assured of the heartfelt respects of the good people of Bayelsa State and our honest prayers for a successful event.
27. It is trite that we cannot do things the same way and expect different outcomes. It is my hope that our robust dialogue today evolves fresh strategies that would chart a clear path towards measurable and achievable goals, in advancement of our common destiny. I thank you all for your kind attention and wish this gathering very fruitful deliberations.
O’Doo!
Alua!
O’Nua!
