2007: 'Alamieyeseigha Not Eyeing Vice Presidency'
Hon. Denyanbofa Dimaro, is the Special Adviser to Governor Dieprieye Alamieyeseigha on Political Affairs. In this interview with John Iwori, he narrates the role played by the governor in securing the release of expatriate oil workers held hostage by restive youth, the growing call for Ijaw nation and 2007 Presidency
Recently, Alamieyeseigha had to cut short his trip to the United Kingdom to lead a rescue team that secured the release of eleven expatriate workers that were held hostage by restive youth in an oil rig off the Atlantic Ocean. What do you think should be done to avoid a reccurrencein future?
The problem is that the communication between the multinational company and the Bayelsa State Government is poor because even their headquarters is not situated in this state. We don't even know when things happen until they come to the climax. This issue you're talking about is a situation where workers disagree with the management not even youth activities. But if the headquarters were in Bayelsa State, we would have probably been informed and proper steps taken to avoid it. Therefore, one of the things to be done to avoid this kind of problem is to make sure that all the multinational oil companies operating in this state have their major headquarters in Bayelsa State. They must also have a functional liaison office. They are to liaise with government to know when activities are getting out of hand. That's the only way we can solve it. Secondly, anywhere we have gainful employment, we also have this management and staff disagreement. It is not something that can be easily eradicated but we can minimize it. We can intervene like the governor went and resolved the issue in question. This does not mean that it won't happen again. What we are saying is that these multinational companies that are operating in Bayelsa State should open their headquarters in Bayelsa State, so that when problems occur, you can discuss with them face-to-face and not to telephone when things are in critical condition. Conflicts are bound to exist but there must be a way to resolve them.
Do you think the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) without implementing the content is a major cause of conflict between oil producing communities and multinational oil companies?
I've said it severally that the issue of signing an MOU is in most cases to pacify a group of people that are agitating for one thing or the other but that at the end of the day, the company does not keep up to these MOU, and that is one of the greatest impediments to a cordial relationship between oil companies and their host communities. For instance, if you take them to court, they'll prefer it because the case may linger for ten to twenty years while they are going on with their operations. Even the youths, we have restricted them from resorting to violence. So, most of the problems that are associated with these MOUs are just designed to create problems. What I'm trying to say is that, if actually whatever development projects they want to execute is passing through government, it would have been easy for government to handle these things rather than signing MOU with communities that they cannot enforce it. The community cannot enforce the MOU. Which is why they go away scot free. So, I'm saying that any dealing with any oil company should be in collaboration with the state government. We have parastatals that can handle these issues. We have the Ministry of Environment. We have the Bureau on Oil and Gas. On political issues, development office is there and so many things that can be handled through government. They are not doing that because they know they'll go scot-free when they have made communities to sign MOU that the communities cannot come out to enforce them. That's the truth about it.
What do you think is the way out?
The thing is not just by signing the MOU but to do the things that will alleviate the plight of the people. Give them employment and the other basic necessities of life. These things are supposed to be done without being pushed. You are working in a place, you are enjoying light, water but the communities where you carry out your exploitation activities does not have light, water. You are enjoying all the facilities there. But the people you are drilling their oil are not enjoying anything. Why not freely give out these things to them. That's the problem. The issue of MOU is nothing and the willingness of these multinational oil companies and the Federal Government is not there. Are they really ready to solve the problem of the people of the Niger Delta? If they are ready, it is not even a commission or any agency matter. After all Abuja, the federal capital territory was not developed through the setting up of any commission. It's just the awarding of the contracts to competent contractors and releasing the funds as at when due. The enabling environment must be provided by the government for other things to come in. Not that people who are educated are no where to be found. That is not the problem. MOU is not the issue. Will Nigeria sign an MOU before we develop the other parts of the country? It is not so. The sincerity and the political will of the government at the centre is the problem. Even the resource control we are talking about is who is at the centre of government that determines where the resources are going. So, if you look at how the resources were shared without recourse to derivation then you would understand the problems. The multinational oil companies have a joint venture with the Federal Government. They are also playing their own role. They are only shifting it to the multinational companies. Today, if we all agree in this country that the multinational companies should even pay 2 dollars per barrel to the NDDC, they'll agree to pay but the federal government would not agree because they also have their own interest. So, we are saying that the Niger Delta region be properly developed in a manner that it will create an environment for self-employment, for investors to come in, for people to be engaged in meaningful employment. Then you'll have no crisis in this part of the country.
What is your reaction to the Federal Government responses to oil spill and the hostage taking of oil workers?
To cut the long story short, the only problem is that, the people of the Niger Delta have not gotten enough political will to determine the fate of this country and that is why people are calling for Sovereign National Conference (SNC). And if you have the political will, the issue of taking political decisions at the right time and the right place will not be a problem. We are praying that the people of the Niger Delta should also be given the presidency to actually determine the fate of this country. Alternatively, a Sovereign National Conference where we'll sit down to discuss how best this country can be ruled is advocated. These are the basic things that will solve the problems of this country because it is very clear that the seriousness and urgency which the Federal Government and its agencies attach to issues of oil workers' hostage or killing is not the same way they attend to oil spill in the oil bearing communities. The expatriates' seizure or release becomes their major concern, but when the people are dying from lack of basic amenities like good drinking water due to pollution here and there, they do not even bother. So, those are the problems we are talking about in this country.
There are speculations that the Ijaw people may vie for the Presidency come 2007, what is your view?
We are appealing to all the geo-political zones that this time around, we in the South-south geo-political zone should be conceded the position of the President. We want all the registered political parties to zone this position as a matter of right to us. That is our prayer.
How feasible is this, considering the fact that other ethnic groups also desire for the position?
We have seen it happen elsewhere. Therefore, ours cannot be different. Even the people of the South-west demanded for it and all the political parties zoned their presidency to them. And so, what we are all saying is that all the political parties in the country should also zone their presidency to the South-south, so that anybody from the zone can vie for the position. That is what we are appealing to Nigerians; and also telling them the need because the South-south as you see, especially the Niger Delta, produces the bulk of the nation's revenue on which the country survives. Our prayer therefore is that this time around, they should also give us the opportunity to also serve this country at the highest level.
�Are you of the opinion that the Sovereign National Conference will be a solution to the problems of the Ijaws or nay national question?
I strongly believe that a Sovereign National Conference, where everybody will say this is the condition where we want to be in this country will go a long way in addressing our basic problems. Things ought to be settled amicably. The various ethnic nationalities need to sit down in a round table and rub minds on the way forward. Those who do not agree on the terms of our living together should be allowed to go their own way. The essence of sovereign national conference is for us to sit down together and agree on how we can govern ourselves. And so, if we all agree that these is the way we'll govern ourselves then, it is better for all of us. That is why we're talking about it.
What is your reaction to speculations in some quarters that Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha is eyeing the Vice Presidency slot?
That is false information. This is because before there will be a vice presidential candidate, there must be a presidential candidate nominated by a registered political party. That is to say that without having a presidential candidate, you cannot talk of a vice president. In other words, the choice of the vice president lies on who becomes the presidential candidate of any political party. So, if there's any indication to that, it might not be correct. What we are saying is that we need anybody from the South-South to be president of this country and nothing else.
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