‘Oil companies are behind attacks on pipelines’
His Royal Highness King Mene Suanu Baridam the Gbenemene Bangha Kingdom VII, National Public Relations Officer, Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCOM)and Chairman Ogoni Conference of Traditional Rulers, Rivers State recounts what transpired before and after the peace meeting between leaders of the Niger Delta and President Muhammadu Buhari recently.
You were part of the leaders, under the aegis of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), that met with the president last week. Could you give us a recap of some of the incidents that transpired at the meeting?
First, I was not a member of PANDEF; I represented Traditional Rulers of Oil Minerals Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON). When we got there, we were not taken to be part of PANDEF but we protested. We argued that it was the traditional rulers of oil mineral producing communities that have the right to nominate who will represent the area and at end of the day after much argument and protest, five of us were allowed to be part of that visit. That was how we came under PANDEF.
The visit was a welcome one; however, those of us who came from TROMPCON have our reservations. Many of the people that were expected to be there were not there and we also said that it was supposed not to be an Ijaw issue. It should have been a general one, including representatives from anywhere oil is found in Nigeria. It was supposed not to be just for the Niger Delta because if you go to Imo and Ondo states they are oil producing states. These were our observations.
At the meeting, we talked about the general development of the Niger Delta, peace and the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). We talked about the issue that companies should not just come to a community and sign MOUs without the state government and we also talked about the agitators.
Let me put it on notice that when we were about to go for the visit, we received several calls from some of the agitators who said that many of the people who were in that group were the people who called them criminals. So, they didn’t believe in the representatives that were there.
However, we said they should allow us to go there after the discussions we would come back to the house and discuss some of those issues.
Again, the visit was supposed to be a dialogue issue because when we wrote about 10-page demands, we actually said what we will do is to visit the president and hand over the points to him and he will give us another time, we will sit down and discuss the issue. However, when we got there I think it was almost like a courtesy call. Basically, I think our visit was a courtesy call.
TROMPCON will still come out and make a statement on the visit but I am speaking as a person, His Royal Highness King Baridam Suanu.
There were issues about division among representative groups prior to the meeting and even during the meeting. Did the Niger Delta leaders speak with one voice?
The representative capacity of that PANDEF was completely the collapsing of many other groups and we went there as one body (under PANDEF). So, I will advise the traditional rulers who have been complaining that they were not part of it that it was not possible to have every traditional ruler in that visit.
For me, I don’t think that there is anything that will come out of it, sincerely, because we have not spoken as people with one voice.
However, I must say that the president is willing to discuss and I also think that if not because of the destruction of pipelines in the Niger Delta Buhari would talk to the Niger Delta. His body language did not show that.
Who specifically were these people you said were supposed to be at the meeting but were not there?
The agitators actually called and said that they nominated a lot of people but that they were not there. The Isoko solidarity group was not there, the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) were not there and then the TROMPCON which we represent, were not part of it but we were forced (into it) because we protested. There were a lot of other groups.
I also think that even those who are not from the Niger Delta but where oil is produced (were supposed to be there). So, we cannot base this dialogue on only on the Niger Delta, it should be where oil is produced completely.
Again, it should have been that any person who wanted to represent the oil-bearing community must be someone who come from an oil-bearing community. You can be a state chairman of traditional rulers but your community is not producing oil, you can’t talk about something you are not part of. These were some of the grey areas.
Traditional rulers of oil mineral producing states are the main people who are supposed to nominate who to talk about issues of oil-bearing communities because they are the ones that are affected not people who are nominated because of their position.
Issues were raised that key ex-militant leaders like Asari Dokubo, Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tompolo, Ebikabowei Victor Ben, a.k.a Gen Boyloaf among others were not part of the meeting. Will this in any way impact the expected outcome of the dialogue?
As I said, there were lots of agitators who called that they were not represented. Even the people they nominated were not part of the meeting. I just don’t want to mention names of some of the ex-agitators but lots of them actually called to say they were not part of it.
We were called on that Saturday that there was going to be an explosion in one of the locations and actually it happened. The meaning of that was that our going there was not properly represented.
I must commend the minister of petroleum resources, he wanted this dialogue to take place and he is doing everything possible to bring peace to the region but he has to also go down to the grassroots to ensure that people who are affected are represented in this discussion. If that is done, we will have a fruitful discussion.
There was an explosion less than four days after the meeting, was it an indication that everything didn’t go well?
Before and after the discussions there were explosions. This is an indication that there are still people who are not ok with the discussion that happened.
I have to tell you this, we must appreciate Chief Edwin Clark and King Alfred Diete-Spiff who have worked tirelessly to ensure that there is peace in the region but we must also understand that they have also stayed for some time; they have to give room for other people to lead.
One of the major arguments by the agitators was that these people want to use themselves in the discussion to pave way into the present administration because they were actually part of the last administration of Goodluck Jonathan. So, if they want to be part of this administration, the only way they can do it is through the issue of dialogue in the Niger Delta. This was part of the main reason ex-agitators raised issues about the personalities of these representatives.
I must say this that there were eminent, respected Niger Delta people, good people that were in that meeting-I saw Ledum Mitee there, I saw Mike Olise, the IYC president and some other young vibrant people but the leaders who have been part of other government should give way for other people to take the discussion.
Some of the leaders who attended the meeting said they were not happy with the president’s response to their demand for a dialogue team to be set up to sustain the discussions. Why were you discontented?
We were not happy about that statement that the president made. I must say this that when we wanted to visit President Buhari, in our meeting, we actually agreed that we were not going to read an address and that we would ask somebody to take up the matter to just discuss it generally. But when we got down there, there was an address which made the visit to now look like a courtesy call. What we went there for was not supposed to be a courtesy call. It was changed to look like a courtesy call.
Before the meeting there was the launch of a $10bn infrastructural development fund for the Niger Delta. Why did leaders of the region reject the initiative?
If this money is spent for 10 years it means you will need $1bn for the development of the Niger Delta. This administration is going to end in less than four years or maybe eight years, to me it is a slap to the people of the Niger Delta. I as a person don’t believe in it and we will reject it because it will not do anything for the region.
Another issue we brought up at the meeting was that in the Niger Delta we don’t need any military occupation. We want them to secure the pipelines but not to reside in a community. We don’t want them because we are not in war.
How confident are you that this administration will meet some of your demands before 2019?
Let me not undermine the integrity of the president, I see him as somebody that will want to do what is right. How, when? That is what I don’t know.
As a paramount community leader, how have you been engaging oil companies on issues that affect your community?
One of the basic duties of a traditional ruler is to ensure that there is peace within the community and if we fail to do that we have to carry the cross.
The traditional rulers are doing all what it takes to talk to our youth not to get into criminality, bunkering, especially destruction of pipeline.
I think the oil companies are also part of the problem we are having, especially their contractors. When you hear the issue of vandalisation of oil pipeline, many of the local people don’t even know where the pipeline is. It is the contractors who divulge to them where the pipelines are. When that is destroyed the oil companies will call them to give them repair contracts.
So, we are talking to our youth that these destructions are going to affect us, our environment. We report when necessary to the security agents to take control.