Expectations High After Osinbajo’s Imo Visit
The visit of acting President Yemi Osinbajo to Imo State, as part of his consultations with the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta, given hope to the restive communities, writes Amby Uneze
The visit of Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to Imo State penultimate week as part of his consultation programme with the oil rich Niger Delta region which comprises nine states of Imo, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Edo, Ondo, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Abia states has its ripple effects on the welfare of the ex-militants who had hitherto surrendered their arms and ammunitions to the Imo State government.
As if the Acting President’s coming to the state was stage-managed to usher in new lease of life and new hope to the people of the oil producing communities of Ohaji/ Egbema and Oguta Local Governments, the youths and ex-militants of the areas were much on hand to give promise to be good citizens of the society by eschewing the habit of kidnapping, oil vandalism, cultism, unrest and other vices which were the order of the day in the recent past.
Months before the visit, the state governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, had offered amnesty to the youths and ‘militants’ in the areas for them to turn in their arms and ammunitions, and turn a new leaf of life. This idea worked as hundreds of militants on two separate occasions converged on the Imo State Govern- ment House, Owerri before the governor, the Police Commissioner, Taiwo Lakanu, the 84 Brigade Commander, Obinze, Director of State Security Services (DSS), traditional rulers and others where they laid down their arms and ammunitions.
Having noticed that if noting positive was done and fast too, the effort might be a waste of time, Okorocha inaugurated the State Amnesty Committee with the wife and First Lady of the state, Nneoma Nkechi Okorocha as chairperson and deputy Chief of Staff, Engr. Kingsley Uju as Vice Chairperson. The Transition Committee chairmen of the oil producing local government areas of Ohaji/ Egbema and Oguta, Assembly members from the two state constituencies, the managing director of Imo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ISOPADEC) and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Niger Delta, are listed as members.
As terms of reference to the Amnesty Committee, the governor charged them to come up with programmes and ideas that would ensure the sustenance of the peace recently restored in the oil producing areas of Ohaji/ Egbema and Oguta following the positive response of the Niger Delta Avenger militants fighting in the areas to the governor’s call on them to drop their guns and embrace peace. In addition, the committee was directed to address all the issues the repented militants had raised when they surrendered.
Appreciating the plight of the oil producing communities, the Acting President, regretted that the oil producing communities in Imo State have largely been neglected by the federal government and noted that the time had come for the communities concerned to receive adequate attention like their counterparts in other states. He even directed all Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contractors handling unfinished projects in the state to return to work with immediate effect.
He told his audience that he had come at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari to consult with stakeholders in the oil producing communities of the Niger Delta region which Imo State is one of them.
Osinbajo while at the palace of Imo State Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council, His Royal Majesty, Eze Samuel Ohiri, noted that the people of Imo State have been largely marginalised as an oil bearing state of Nigeria. He however said the federal government would make amends. He promised that Imo would henceforth receive fair treatment from the federal government.
Also at the Imo International Convention Centre (IICC), Owerri, Osinbajo addressed a stakeholders’ forum after he equally visited the N4 billion federal government‘s skills acquisition centre at Ohaji.
He said from the lists submitted to him by
The oil producing communities in Imo have a lot of vibrant young men and women who must be carried along in the scheme of things. My interaction today with those concerned has given the government the opportunity to discuss with people directly involved with a view of making sure that there is justice and even development across the Niger Delta communities
various groups, Imo has over 40 abandoned projects awarded in the oil bearing areas apart from numerous road projects that are abandoned.
Osinbajo equally warned against the diversion of projects meant for the oil bearing communities by political office holders, noting that such act compound incidences of marginalisation and restiveness in the oil producing communities.
He said that the federal government was committed to injecting fresh ideas in the development of the Niger Delta area whereby the oil firms, government, corporate bodies and the host communities would come together and step up development of the areas.
“My visit here is in continuation of the consultation which Mr. President said I should do to all the states of the Niger Delta, and I can say that the oil producing communities of Imo have been largely ignored,” he said.
Assuring that the federal government would look at the ways to redress the injustice done the area by giving more attention to the state, he also promised that the issue of unfair appointment and allocation of projects raised by Okorocha, would be looked into as well, if such discrepancy existed.
He however referred to the governor’s claim on appointment, saying “You said that the highest appointment given to Imo under Buhari was Minister of State for Education, I will like to equally inform you that Katsina the home state of Mr. President, and Kaduna State where Buhari resides all have ministers of state.”
He massaged the ego of the governor when he said “If there is any governor in this country that has the listening ear of Mr. President, I will say that it is Governor Okorocha and it is not correct for the governor to say that the state is marginalised by APC-led federal government,” Osinbajo said.
The Acting President had also gone to the Egbema Gas Plant on inspection and after assessing the facility he assured that the federal government would ensure that the facility would work to serve the purpose for which it was installed in the first place stressing that power is key to the development of the area.
His words: “The oil producing communities in Imo have a lot of vibrant young men and women who must be carried along in the scheme of things. My interaction today with those concerned has given the government the opportunity to discuss with people directly involved with a view of making sure that there is justice and even development across the Niger Delta communities.”
He assured that Imo State would get its fair share of federal projects because of its importance to the APC-led federal government.
Earlier, Okorocha had welcomed the Acting President Osinbajo to Imo, but added that the people of the state have not been fairly treated in terms of appointment and project allocation by Buhari’s administration.
He said that Imo as the state that entrenched APC party in the South-east and even fought the political battle that brought victory to the party in 2015 had little or nothing to show for their effort.
Okorocha said, “If you take better look at the situation of Imo no appointment and allocation of infrastructures could Imo people boast of being better treated by the federal government.”
The governor noted that apart from Minister of State for Education which was the highest political appointment given to an Imo person, the state cannot boast of any federal project courtesy of the present administration.
Okorocha continued, “I know you are the Acting President and have the ears of the President. Sometimes we Christians don’t go to God direct, we go through his son, Jesus Christ. So there is no better person to tell our painful story than you. You need to take a second look at what is happening in the South-east.
“No serious political appointment, no visible federal infrastructure so far, to show the presence of federal government in Imo State and South-east in general. I beg that as the government gives subsequent appointments, let the qualified sons and daughters of the state be considered. Those in business be considered for federal patronage,” he said.
According to him, “Imo State played major role in bringing APC to power because if what had taken place in other states was allowed to happen in Imo State and other states in the South-east, probably we wouldn’t have had the APC government today.”
The governor also prayed that the dilapidated skills acquisition centre in Ohaji be changed to University of Niger Delta to help bring about lasting peace in the area, while the gas plant at Egbema should be made to work to help in indust rialising the area.
He added, “Given the roles that I played as a sacrificial lamb in the South-east during the elections, my state deserves more. There is no federal government presence in the oil producing areas, and none benefited from the federal government amnesty programme. I also ask for the quick refund of the money spent by the state on Imo International Cargo Airport and on some federal roads in the state.”
Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, in his remark promised that he would assist the state recover their lost oil wells. He however, revealed that the reason why President Buhari remained Minister of Petroleum was to look directly into the sector and promptly address its affairs.
As representatives of the oil communities, Chief Jones Uzoka, an indigene of the oil bearing communities who spoke as the state chairman of Oil Mineral Producing Area Lands’s Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN) claimed that some oil wells in Imo were allocated to other states, while some were shut for no reason.
He decried the anomaly in the distribution of the 2017 budget of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs which placed Imo as the least allocated states even lower than Cross River and Ondo states which have the least production in the region. He said because of these the state does not get her due share as oil bearing state and called for redress of the injustice.
Also speaking, the Chairman of Supreme Council of Oil and Gas Producing Areas, Imo State, Chief Esom Goddy Obodo, reminded the federal government and the NDDC that the master plan for railway lines did not capture Imo State as one of the Niger Delta states and urged the authorities to reverse it among other demands.
Others who spoke include leader of exagitators Emeka Igwe, Godwin Obodo and representatives of traditional rulers from oil host communities who also gave list of abandoned projects in the area.
In the Acting President’s entourage were the Minister of Transport, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka, Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Ibe Kachikwu, and Minister for Niger Delta, Pastor Usani Uguru.
There is no federal government presence in the oil producing areas, and none benefited from the federal government amnesty programme