The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu has disclosed that various government entities as well as oil companies in the Niger Delta region have spent over 40 billion dollars without any meaningful development in the last 10 years.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, revealed this while receiving the traditional rulers from the Niger Delta coastal states in Abuja .
His words: “The amount of money that has been put into the Niger Delta development over the last 10 years is over $40billion. This comes from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), derivation fund and investments by the oil companies. As I go to the creeks, I see no infrastructure that justifies the result of the massive investments. What this means is that the Niger Delta must begin to do soul-searching by asking themselves where the moneys go? Who took them? What were they applied to? What were the roles of our own people and other people as well in examining how the money was spent? Unless we solve the governance and transparency issues surrounding how the money was spent, it does not matter how much money is put in to the place, we will be heading to square one.”
He also stated that two days after the Niger Delta Avengers issued a statement that it has declared a ceasefire, there was an attack on an Agip facility at Nembe creeks in the Niboro area where 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day was lost on Monday this week.
The Minister also denied plans by the Federal Government to militarize the Niger Delta.
“To the best of my knowledge, President Muhammadu Buhari has shown a lot of patience and has so far not ordered anyone to go in massively in a military fashion. He recognizes that there is a need to continue to engage communities towards finding peace. That is his first model on how to solve the current problems and he has been consistent with that,” he explained.
He maintained that the solution to the Niger Delta crises is not by force of arms for both the militants as well as the Federal Government, adding, “the first is to engage but engagement can only take place when the environment is conducive enough.
“I think that because the Niger Delta issue has gone on for so long, it has led to the citadel of brutality of militancy. The region must go to the negotiation table with the same aggressiveness that has been applied by the militancy in the creeks. Once a platform for engagement has been provided, everyone must key into that platform for meaningful engagement.”
He challenged the traditional rulers and other leaders of the Niger Delta to embark on fact-finding on how $40billion spent within 10 years failed to engender development of the area.
He said: “The first fundamental question we need to ask is how the institutions run and what roles are our traditional leaders play in the decision-making process on how projects are cited and executed. We must also put a sense of responsibility on delivering on infrastructural imperatives.”
While he agreed that the demands by the traditional rulers are germane and desirable, Kachikwu insisted that what it needed immediately is a developmental process that is agreed for the Niger Delta community which is long-serving and to which money can be thrown at.
While revealing that President Buhari is in a hurry to develop the oil-rich area, Kachikwu said the President is presently gathering data on what happened in time past, what is the futuristic plans and what can be done with the Amnesty programme going forward.
The Bolowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Dr Wellington Okirika, who read the demands of the Monarchs, requested the urgent constitution of a Federal Government dialogue team, release of 10 school children arrested by the Nigerian Army in Oporoza and others in detention camps.
The traditional rulers also requested the return of the golden sword that is the symbol of authority of the Gbaramato traditional institution, return the three traditional council speed boats in the custody of the Nigerian Army, cessation of hostilities by the military and a quick declaration of the Federal Government intention for opening of the Maritime University in Okerenkoko Delta State.
The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu has disclosed that various government entities as well as oil companies in the Niger Delta region have spent over 40 billion dollars without any meaningful development in the last 10 years.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, revealed this while receiving the traditional rulers from the Niger Delta coastal states in Abuja .
His words: “The amount of money that has been put into the Niger Delta development over the last 10 years is over $40billion. This comes from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), derivation fund and investments by the oil companies. As I go to the creeks, I see no infrastructure that justifies the result of the massive investments. What this means is that the Niger Delta must begin to do soul-searching by asking themselves where the moneys go? Who took them? What were they applied to? What were the roles of our own people and other people as well in examining how the money was spent? Unless we solve the governance and transparency issues surrounding how the money was spent, it does not matter how much money is put in to the place, we will be heading to square one.”
He also stated that two days after the Niger Delta Avengers issued a statement that it has declared a ceasefire, there was an attack on an Agip facility at Nembe creeks in the Niboro area where 150,000 barrels of crude oil per day was lost on Monday this week.
The Minister also denied plans by the Federal Government to militarize the Niger Delta.
“To the best of my knowledge, President Muhammadu Buhari has shown a lot of patience and has so far not ordered anyone to go in massively in a military fashion. He recognizes that there is a need to continue to engage communities towards finding peace. That is his first model on how to solve the current problems and he has been consistent with that,” he explained.
He maintained that the solution to the Niger Delta crises is not by force of arms for both the militants as well as the Federal Government, adding, “the first is to engage but engagement can only take place when the environment is conducive enough.
“I think that because the Niger Delta issue has gone on for so long, it has led to the citadel of brutality of militancy. The region must go to the negotiation table with the same aggressiveness that has been applied by the militancy in the creeks. Once a platform for engagement has been provided, everyone must key into that platform for meaningful engagement.”
He challenged the traditional rulers and other leaders of the Niger Delta to embark on fact-finding on how $40billion spent within 10 years failed to engender development of the area.
He said: “The first fundamental question we need to ask is how the institutions run and what roles are our traditional leaders play in the decision-making process on how projects are cited and executed. We must also put a sense of responsibility on delivering on infrastructural imperatives.”
While he agreed that the demands by the traditional rulers are germane and desirable, Kachikwu insisted that what it needed immediately is a developmental process that is agreed for the Niger Delta community which is long-serving and to which money can be thrown at.
While revealing that President Buhari is in a hurry to develop the oil-rich area, Kachikwu said the President is presently gathering data on what happened in time past, what is the futuristic plans and what can be done with the Amnesty programme going forward.
The Bolowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Dr Wellington Okirika, who read the demands of the Monarchs, requested the urgent constitution of a Federal Government dialogue team, release of 10 school children arrested by the Nigerian Army in Oporoza and others in detention camps.
The traditional rulers also requested the return of the golden sword that is the symbol of authority of the Gbaramato traditional institution, return the three traditional council speed boats in the custody of the Nigerian Army, cessation of hostilities by the military and a quick declaration of the Federal Government intention for opening of the Maritime University in Okerenkoko Delta State.
