Nigeria’s quest for 2.5mbpd got some boost this week when a pipeline protection contractor secured a major deal in a sensitive part of Ogoni in Rivers State.
This is despite fresh threats by a faction of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) which said it has linked up with a new resistance group called the Ogoli Liberation Initiative (OLI) to reject oil resumption in Ogoni.
Fegalo Nsuke, factional president of MOSOP, and Fabeke Douglas, president of the newly-noticed Ogoni Liberation Initiative (OLI), said they have dissociated their groups from any discussion to resume oil operations in Ogoni area (OML-11), saying no person has been held liable for the death of over 4,000 Ogoni people.
“You are also very much aware of the pains and trauma our children, old people, young men, women had to endure following state-sanctioned extreme torture, imprisonment, and even death which became a policy of the Nigerian Government,” he said.
Despite this, efforts by the Federal Government to recommence crude oil production in Ogoni with capacity for 200,000b/pd received a boost as Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited PINL on Thursday midwifed a peace deal among warring factions of the very important crude oil community.
The peace deal, which brings to an end, decades of bloody intra-community conflicts which have negatively impacted crude oil production activities and to a significant boost to daily production target as the Nigerian government aims for 2.5-million b/pd in next one year.
The feat by PINL, the pipeline surveillance contractor covering the eastern corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP), is furtherance of its peace and consensus building among its 215 pipelines host communities, which has greatly to daily throughput on the TNP to 100 percent.
Bodo in Gokana Local Government of Rivers State is a major oil-bearing community and an artery for oil pipelines, gathering crude oil from various pipelines and locations, including the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) to the export terminal in Bonny.
Intra community squabbles among different armed gangs had for decades plagued the community leading to loss of lives, delayed development and delay in empowerment opportunities accruing from oil production activities in the community, like participation in pipeline surveillance operations and other corporate social responsibility benefits from Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd (PINL).
But through its robust community engagement and peace building initiatives, PINL has been able to reconcile the various factions and on Thursday brought them together to sign a peace deal, thus ending all forms of disagreements among the factions and opening them to opportunities deliverable from the pipeline surveillance contract, among others.
Some of the key stakeholders at the meeting included John B. Berebon, the Paramount Ruler of Bodo City, political and youth leaders of the community, officials of PINL, representatives of the Minister of Petroleum (Oil), National Security Adviser (NSA) the Project Management Office (PMO) and Department of State Services (DSS).
Eddie Julius, Special Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil) on Host Communities, while speaking on the significance of the peace deal described it as timely, especially to the country and oil industry saying it would guarantee safe operations that would result in increased crude production in Bodo and the entire Ogoni areas.
He informed the community representatives that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was happy with Bodo community promising; “Within the shortest possible time we will come over there to see how things are going on”.
He went on: “By the grace of God, next few months when we meet all will be joyful that we are meeting together. For some time, we could not see eye to eye but today everyone is sitting and eating together and exchanging handshakes of love. That’s what I want us to keep henceforth.
“You know crisis never helps. It’s only understanding and accommodating yourselves that bring development to your place.”
He thanked PINL, and all who facilitated the peace deal including the NSA’s office, the PMO and the Ministry of Petroleum.
“So, all what we are begging is when you get back to your community, preach peace to every other person because after shooting guns we will still come to sit at a round table to agree. So, if that’s the case why do we need to shoot guns in the first place.”
Also speaking on the importance of the peace deal, Young Harry Amakiri, the administrator of the National Security Adviser NSA Niger Delta Office, Port Harcourt, informed that it was significant to help in achieving the mandate of the President to increase oil production to 2.5-million barrels per day noting that crisis anywhere that affects production, would affect that negatively.
Amakiri warned: “If you sign this peace accord and you do otherwise, we will come for you. When I say we will come for you, the federal government will come for you- nobody can save you. As I’m talking to you, there are two things that the Presidency under the National Security Adviser is on ground working. They are prosecuting all those thieves, the bunkerers.
They have the prosecuting team and the investigation team. So, if you engage in anything that will stop the production of oil, you’re also a thief and we will come for you. If you like use torch light phone. so far there’s a sim card in that phone, we will come for you. As I am talking to you, they are seeing you there as I’m here. You don’t joke with security. I will plead with us to make use of your time now and develop your community.
He thanked PINL for achieving the peace deal saying that it has earned them additional mark to their already high marks in the execution of their mandate on security of the TNP.
Earlier in his remarks, Akpos Mezeh, PINL, General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations, pointed out that because of the crisis in Bodo community PINL was forced to give out the pipeline surveillance jobs for the community to outsiders saying that only the community was thus affected out of all the other 214 pipeline host communities.
“We knew that it was wrong but as at then, we felt that it was the only way to manage the situation pending when we correct the wrong and for almost two years now if not more, we have got feedback from the community that we should do the right thing. And we also used so many ways to find out whether it was actually the time for us to right the wrong.”
“The feedback we have got has confirmed that we needed to replicate whatever strategy we have applied in the entire 214 communities so the reason why we are here today is for us to handover the surveillance of Bodo-to-Bodo indigenes so that they will be solely accountable for whatever happens.
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“They will be responsible for pipeline infractions. And we believe that particularly from two years’ experience, since we started the surveillance operations, on the TNP, the Bodo has been very hospitable if not for some minor experiences in the community. The truth of the matter is that people are blowing the disagreement out of proportion. Perhaps for whatever reasons they are doing.”
He expressed appreciation to the leaders of Bodo that showed up.
Berebon spoke on behalf of the Bodo people as the paramount ruler. He pledged to maintain the peace and to continue to preach it among his subjects, especially the youths. He also promised that the community would join forces with other stakeholders to secure all national assets in the community, especially the TNP. He made deep revelations about the origin of the crisis in his kingdom.
“As a paramount ruler of Bodo city, as part and parcel of the government of Nigeria for the rest of my life, I will not accept or condone any person that will sabotage the nation’s economy, particularly the pipeline. I will never. I know I suffer a lot because I say I didn’t want to be part of this or that. I suffered for over a year plus. My throne was denied me because I said no, don’t tamper with that pipeline when people were saying they will give 200-million they will give this for that pipeline. That was the genesis of the crisis I was having.”
He also pointed out that people from outside the community had been the ones instigating the crisis for their selfish interests and thanked Pidomson and Kenneth Kobani for facilitating the peace process.
The Paramount Ruler said; “So when we sign here now, that we need the pace, the peace we are signing here now is not because we need to be involved in the pipeline business. We are here to have total peace for ourselves and for the development that will come into this community.”
In their separate remarks, Pidomson, and Kobani who were former Secretaries to Rivers State Government (SSG) called for fairness to the community and all the stakeholders saying that they should be treated as the other 214 pipeline host communities of PINL.
Highlights of the occasion was the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the community leadership and representatives of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL).
This is expected to boost passage of oil through the pipeline to Bonny. It is also expected to facilitate the resumption of oil exploration in the entire Ogoni.
