REMARKS
BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE Ag. PRESIDENT, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, AT A TOWN
HALL MEETING HELD AT THE BAYELSA STATE GOVERNMENT HOUSE BANQUET HALL, YENAGOA
IN CONTINUATION OF THE SERIES OF INTERACTIVE ENGAGEMENTS WITH OIL-PRODUCING
COMMUNITIES IN THE NIGER DELTA
FRIDAY
FEBRUARY 10, 2017
PROTOCOL
I am extremely pleased and honored to be here today visiting
the warm, friendly and hardworking people of Bayelsa State.
It is a privilege to be hosted in the Jerusalem of the Ijaw
nation and to interact with a people whose rich ancestry is notably marked,
since the precolonial era, with a determined quest for fairness and justice.
I am here as an emissary of our President, President
Mohammadu Buhari, who after the visit of leadership of The PAN DELTA FORUM in
November 2016, decided that we must undertake visits to engage with the leadership
and people of our oil producing communities, to hear them, to seek to
understand their problems and concerns first hand and to offer to these
communities in the Niger Delta, a new vision and a new compact.
It is in this great State of Bayelsa precisely at Oloibiri that the history of oil exploration in Nigeria began. It is here that this great source of the wealth of our Nation was discovered. And this oil became the source of 70% of our National earnings and 90% of our foreign exchange earnings.
Over 50% of non-oil revenues is determined by oil revenues.
But for the people of historic Oloibiri and the many oil-producing communities
in this State and the Delta region of Nigeria, the blessing of oil
paradoxically became a curse or at best a burden.
Their means of livelihood, fishing and farming has
consistently been destroyed by pollution. Worse still huge resources earned
over the years have simply disappeared.
The roads, schools, hospitals and social amenities that the
oil wealth should have provided are either not there or are patently
inadequate. The majority of people of these communities and several parts of
the oil producing states have heard of the wealth that oil has brought but have
hardly benefited from it.
And so we have come today on behalf of the President and
Commander-in-Chief, with cabinet colleagues, and heads of relevant agencies to
propose a new vision and to signpost a new era to the people of the oil
producing communities of this state and Nigeria.
The Federal Government will begin a partnership with the oil
producing states, local governments, oil companies, private sector, and civil
society organizations for the rapid development of these communities.
We must convene an oil-communities intervention meeting to
work out what can be done in the short to medium term and the long term
possibilities. We must focus on how to ensure that the people see the benefits
of the wealth of the land.
This new vision will define the future of the region. Oil
exploitation by itself cannot suffice to assure our people of decent jobs and a
decent income.
We must make our oil producing communities hubs for
petro-chemical industries, small and large. We must make these communities hubs
for refining and related activities.
The Ministry of Petroleum in collaboration with the oil
companies is working on several initiatives for host communities including
working with illegal refiners in oil bearing communities to participate in
modular refineries that will be established. There is no doubt that thermal
power stations should be stationed here, it makes sense, the gas deposits are
here.
The biggest benefit we can obtain is to attract more
investment to the region. I listened to my brother Udengs, President of the
Ijaw Youth Council, who is one of the most articulate advocates of the Niger
Delta cause that I have yet heard. I also listened carefully to the
Agricultural economist, Zigha Ayibakuro.
A key point they make of the several important points, is
that the young men of Bayelsa are entrepreneurs, driven and dynamic and this is
critical. Societies are built on the resourcefulness, innovativeness and drive
of the people.
India does not have a drop of oil but it now home to the
largest refinery of Petroleum in the world. I want to challenge the young
professionals and entrepreneurs to set up A Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce and
Entrepreneurship Council. Where we can identify those involved in technology,
Agriculture, Oil and Gas, manufacturing and the professions. A chamber of
commerce properly organized will attract the right kind of local and
international partnerships and even funding. I am prepared to work with you on
that.
Today new investments in the oil and gas sector have slowed
down so badly because investors have a choice all over the world, even here in
Africa, and they will not put their resources in a dangerous or unstable
environment.
This is why our oil producing communities must now refuse to
participate in the destruction of pipelines and oil facilities. Aside from loss
of revenues this also means further pollution of the land and aqua culture.
We must not allow anyone to persuade us that we need to
destroy investments, pollute our environment to prove a point or to get a few
benefits. That is cutting our nose to spite our face!
From 2015 Nigeria began to lose 1 million barrels of oil
daily. Almost 60% of revenues lost to vandalisation. This affected all states,
and especially states in the Niger Delta region.
All the requests Udengs made the road to Brass, Airport, etc
can only be done when the FG and the states earn revenue. We cannot
destroy the sources of revenue and expect revenues.
Your Excellencies, your Royal majesties and the great people
of the Ijaw nation, we must make haste. We must move quickly.
Day by day the world is moving away from oil. Other energy
sources are getting cheaper, America that used to be the largest importer of
our oil, has not imported one drop of our oil since they started producing from
Shale.
Our oil now sells to Asia, but even they do not plan to
depend on oil forever. China and Japan are now manufacturing electric cars.
In Japan there are more charging stations for cars than petrol stations. We must be wise, to use our oil for development when it is still valuable. Our guarantee of future well-being is to act today. It is time to set our sights on a great future for our people.
In Japan there are more charging stations for cars than petrol stations. We must be wise, to use our oil for development when it is still valuable. Our guarantee of future well-being is to act today. It is time to set our sights on a great future for our people.
Once more, I thank you most sincerely for your very warm
welcome, and I especially thank my dear brother, the Governor of the State, Governor
Seriake Dickson.
God
bless Bayelsa State.
God bless Nigeria.
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Politics