Politics
Niger Deltans deserve oil blocs –Survey
Nigeria’s economy, no doubt, has been seriously affected by the activities of militants in the Niger Delta area of the country.
This has also derailed the plans of government, under the All Progressives Congress (APC) to deliver the promised change to the people.
The militants’ activities against the international oil companies in that region has hampered crude oil production, cutting output to way below expected level, which in turn has drastically reduced government’s income.
The 2016 budget has suffered a deficit, and government has resorted to borrowing to meet its financial needs, since over 80 per cent of its revenue comes from the sale of crude oil.
The region has also not known peace, as militarization of the area has continued to bring about clashes between the troops deployed there and the communities.
In efforts to restore peace, and guarantee the safety of its people, elders in the region led by a former federal commissioner of information, Chief Edwin Clark set up a Pan Niger Delta Elders Forum (PANDEF) which met with President Muhammadu Buhari to find a lasting solution to the crisis in the Niger Delta area.
The PANDEF laid out a number of conditions it said would guarantee peace in the region, resulting in the free flow of the black gold, with a win-win situation for all sides in the crisis.
The Niger Delta elders, among other things, asked the federal government for “inclusive participation in the oil industry and ownership of oil blocs.”
Ripples Nigeria went to town to seek the views of Nigerians in a survey poll on how they feel concerning such a demand, by the elders asking that oil blocs be allocated to people of the region.
Read also: 16 things Niger Delta elders want from Buhari for peace to reign
The survey had as question, ‘Should President Buhari grant the request of Niger Delta elders for allocation of oil blocs’? and the choice of answers were: yes, no and indifferent.
A good number of Nigerians who took part in the survey reacted by saying ‘yes’, suggesting, that people from the Niger Delta region deserve to be allocated oil blocs, as a measure of resolving the long standing crisis in the region.
About 66.3 per cent of respondents who took part in the poll agreed that the federal government has to allocate oil blocks to people from the region in efforts to allow peace reign.
However, 28.4 per cent disagreed with the idea of granting oil blocks to people from the region while 5.3 per cent were indifferent about the issue.
After the meeting with the leaders however, government is yet to make any official pronouncement about the demands, but only promised to take a look at it.
In the meantime, militants have gone back to blowing up pipelines, and disrupting the free flow of the crude, even as troops continue to comb the creeks in search of them.
Frustrated by activities of Niger Delta militants and, in what appears to be ‘Option B,’ the federal government is reported to be desperately devoting enormous resources to oil exploration outside the region. Only recently, Lagos joined the league of oil producing states while searches in the Chad and Bauchi basins have come to nought.
Interestingly, the government is also reported to be seeking partnerships with oil companies in Niger Republic to build over 1000 kilometres of pipeline to supply crude oil to Kaduna refinery, in order to secure petroleum products in northern Nigeria.
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, has promised an end to the Niger Delta crisis in 2017 and Nigerians hope that the promise materializes.
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Margret Dickson
November 27, 2016 at 11:41 am
They will be over pampered if the federal government decides to give them oil blocs, that’s too much to ask for. They should give themselves some senses.
Roland Uchendu Pele
November 27, 2016 at 11:42 am
If the federal government, as reported, are desperately devoting enormous resources to oil exploration outside the region only to create jealousy, then the mission is clearly a bad one. The Niger Delta people are not fighting over a cause that they do not deserve. We should listen to their agitation.
Amaka Okoro
November 27, 2016 at 2:27 pm
if listening to the niger delta agitation will make our oil save then our government should look into it and bet to there demand than giving it to the north for damage
Johnson Amadi
November 27, 2016 at 11:42 am
These people won’t stop blowing up pipelines without having their own oil blocs. 66.3% isn’t a small figure, it’s now obvious that virtually everyone in the region is in support of pipeline bombings.
JOHNSON PETER
November 27, 2016 at 12:28 pm
Oil blocs should be awarded to them to avoid all these vengeance. Why will the north controls oil blocs whereby they don’t produce the oil?
Amarachi Okoye
November 27, 2016 at 2:16 pm
what right do the north have to control our oil sector they better give it to the niger delta were it belong instead of the north to take over
seyi jelili
November 27, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Although I know this survey is a thrash as the opinions of Niger Deltas were not really sampled but yet, it is indisputable that they deserve to control at least 40% oil blocs in the country .
yanju omotodun
November 27, 2016 at 3:09 pm
Why will you call the survey a thrash? Were you the surveyor who did it? Appreciate peoples’ work as long you want people to appreciate yours too. Kudos to Ripples Nigeria for the excellent survey. The Niger Deltans will get oil blocs next year, I am sure.