Politics

Oil Belongs To Nigeria: Storm Rages Over Clark, Obasanjo Row

Published

4 years ago

January 2, 2022

…Kinsmen, Children Should Call ex-President To Order — N’Delta Activists

The controversy generated by former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s remark that oil in the Niger Delta belongs to Nigeria and not the region seems unending as Niger Delta activists said the ex-President’s children and kinsmen should call him to order.

They also urged Obasanjo to identify the particular treaty that gave ownership of natural resources to the Federal Government.

Elder statesman and Ijaw leader, Chief E.K. Clark, had accused Obasanjo of displaying hatred against the people of Niger Delta during a peace and security meeting convened by the Global Peace Foundation and Vision Africa in Abuja.

The allegations were contained in his recent letter to Obasanjo, titled: “Outburst Against The People of Niger Delta Region.”

However, the former President, in his reply last Tuesday, said it was wrong and unconstitutional for Clark or the people of Niger Delta to lay claim to crude oil or any mineral resources found in their area.

“No territory in Nigeria including the minerals found therein, belongs to the area of location and this remains so until the federation is dissolved,” he said.

But disagreeing with him in separate interviews, activists of Niger Delta extraction queried the intent behind such a remark, saying Obasanjo’s kinsmen and children should call him to order.

According to the spokesman for Niger Delta Rights Advocate, Darlington Nwauju,” the statutes or constitution support the stand of former President Obasanjo. The 1999 Constitution (as amended) gives government exclusive rights over the resources in the Niger Delta region. However, this does not make it right because of the time-tested principle of “he that owns the land, owns everything on that land.

“It is also true that before the military struck in 1967, the revenue sharing formula for groundnut, cocoa, cotton and palm oil was 50 per cent.

“It is wrong for Obasanjo to still believe that we should continue to live with what the military foisted on us.

“Regrettably, bad governance by regional leaders and the elite has rubbished any argument to demand greater resources for the people of the region.

“The bastardization of the region’s foremost interventionist agency, the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is a sad case in point.”

Also, Coordinator, Niger Delta Peace Coalition, Zik Gbemre, said: ”I am highly disappointed in Obasanjo. If he has nothing to say in his struggle to remain relevant, he should remain silent. He is desperate to be heard all the time.

“I have always defended the federal government of Nigeria as a nation, but for a former President who has ruled this country multiple times to make such a reckless statement, it means there is something wrong with black Africans.

“Tribalism has blinded black African leaders from seeing things the way they are. The oil and gas deposits in the Niger Delta belong to Niger Delta people. God put such resources underneath for the people. They own it all.

“An Urhobo man cannot say we own the land in Abeokuta where Obasanjo comes from. If the oil and gas today in the southern minority states were to be in the lands of the tribal majors, the story won’t be the way it is today.

“Because we are minorities in the Niger Delta, everything is forced on us. The constitution Obasanjo referred to was forced on the ethnic minorities by the tribal majors. It wasn’t on mutual consent. Obasanjo must be very ignorant to refer to such a constitution. I am highly disappointed in him.

“Obasanjo is above 80. At his age, what does he want that he has to be economical with the truth?

“Why can’t he for once be truthful? If Obasanjo has personal scores to settle with Chief Clark, he should reconcile with him quietly. He should not play on the collective conscience of the Niger Delta people to settle petty personal quarrels.

“If the oil and gas in the Niger Delta belong to federal government, why are the operating oil companies seeking freedom to operate from host communities? Why is government paying 13 Percent Derivation?

“It is high time Obasanjo’s children and kinsmen called him to order. One thing, Obasanjo said so because we are not practising true federalism in this country.’’

Chairman Board of Trustees of Centre of Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade, CHURAC, Mr Cleric Alaowei, argued that provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, which were domesticated in Nigeria, did not vest ownership of natural resources in the Federal Government of Nigeria

“Obasanjo’s reply to Chief E. K. Clark’s letter is unnecessary. The former President relied on the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“For us in the Niger Delta, the military decree did not reflect the will of the people. A constitution is supposed to be the reflection of the people’s will but that is not the case with the 1999 Constitution.

“That is the reason people are agitating for the constitution review. Of course, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo should have known better.

“He should have informed the world that his National Political Reforms Committee, NPC, and the 2014 National Conference approved 18 per cent derivation for oil-producing states.

“If the ownership of the natural resources belongs to the central government as erroneously provided by the military, the constitutional conferences from 2005 to date would not have resolved to increase the derivation in the Constitution to address the yearnings of the Niger Delta people.

“There is a consensus that the natural resources belong to the people whose lands produce them. Obasanjo also relied on international treaties to support his constitutional claim of ownership of natural resources. I stand to be corrected. The provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which was domesticated in Nigeria did not vest ownership of natural resources in the Federal Government of Nigeria.

“That treaty clearly provided that ownership of natural resources belongs to the people where they are found. Obasanjo should tell us the particular treaty that gives ownership of natural resources to the federal government.”

The Manager, Urhobo Historical Society Headquarters, Mr Ogheneochuko Arodovwe , said: “It was quite impressive that nature conspired to have the two elder statesmen “quarrel” in public. The two elders traced their management of the affairs of Nigeria to when they first met 46 years ago in Gowon’s government, in 1975.

“Nigeria purports to be a federation but in her actions, she is everything but none. The country has continued as a unitary state in line with Aguiyi Ironsi Decree 34 of 1966. This same clause has been disguised and sneaked into Section 44:6 of the 1999 Constitution while the leaders carry about with the toga of a “Federal Republic. I was appalled by the instance cited by Chief Obasanjo in the event of oil being discovered on his Ota Farm in future.

“Roughly 25 countries are operating federal constitutions in the world. They include some of the largest and most complex democracies – India, the US, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Belgium, Russia, Canada, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Austria, Australia and others. Obasanjo should have mentioned one of them that hijacked the resources of its federating units, siphons them, drops them on the laps of the Commander-in-Chief, and then shares the booties as bonanza to those around the corridors of power as does Nigeria.

“The fact that he could so defiantly use his Ota Farm as an example, shows how ignorant our supposed leaders and elders are.

“The Urhobo, Isoko, Ijaw, Ogoni, Kalabari, Efik, Ibibio among others are the owners of the oil. The term Niger Delta is nebulous and imprecise and has been used as an instrument of deception both by outsiders and their accomplices from within to loot the region dry and do much harm to the people.

“The story of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, is just one of such instances.”

(VANGUARD)

Politics

Wike Gives Update On Rivers Emergency Rule Expires Date

Published

5 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday said he was optimistic that the state of emergency declared in Rivers State would expire on September 18.

He disclosed this after casting his vote in the ongoing local government election in the state.

Wike noted that the expiration would pave the way for the state House of Assembly to resume its legislative duties.

“As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful, people are trooping out and at the end of the day the election has been conducted successfully and peacefully.

“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire and the state assembly will come back to their job and we will have a government at the grassroots level,” Wike said.

The minister said the conditions were right for lifting the state of emergency since both state and local governments now had representation.

He added, “The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”

President Bola Tinubu had earlier imposed emergency rule in Rivers to prevent a political crisis, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly for six months.

Politics

APC Mocks Jonathan As ADC Woos Him For 2027 Race

Published

11 hours ago

August 30, 2025

Editor

There were reports on Friday that a powerful group within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is wooing ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2027 presidential race.

A source close to both the former president and the ADC told Saturday Tribune on Friday that the former president is seriously considering running in the coming presidential polls.

The source confirmed that key figures in the ADC were comfortable with having Jonathan as their presidential candidate and had, in fact, reached out to him.

He, however, said the former president was torn between his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “which made him” and the ADC which, he said, had the potential of winning the election if it gets the right candidate.

“Former President Goodluck Jonathan is worried that certain persons with strong links to the Villa may still be in control of the PDP and may mess him up if he seeks the ticket of that party,” the source said.

He added that Jonathan’s only issue with the ADC is that “he does not want to contest against Peter Obi because he believes that the Igbo people supported him in 2015 even more than his own Ijaw people.”

While saying emphatically that Jonathan would run except he could not find a platform, the source added that “if he chooses our party (ADC), we will zone the presidency to the South. If he does not come to us, we will have no option than to go to the North because politics is about numbers and winning.”

Jonathan can’t defeat Tinubu —APC

Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan cannot defeat its candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the presidential election coming up in 2027.

The Lagos State chapter of the party said on Friday that it had observed with keen interest the growing speculations surrounding the possible return of former President Jonathan to the 2027 presidential race, and therefore made the submission.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jonathan, who lost his re-election bid in 2015 to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, is being persuaded by supporters to seek reelection in 2027 general elections.

NAN reported APC’s spokesman in Lagos State, Mr Seye Oladejo, in a statement on Friday as noting that the former president’s political relevance to unseat President Bola Tinubu, remained in doubt.

“While we acknowledge the former president’s role in the peaceful democratic transition of 2015, an act that rightly earned him praise at home and abroad, we must state, in clear terms, that Nigeria has since moved beyond the politics of sentiment, nostalgia, and symbolism.

“The challenges of today and the future require bold, capable, and forward-thinking leadership, not a return to the comfort of a past that was far from perfect.

“Let it be clear: good luck alone is not a governance strategy,” he said.

Oladejo alleged that the Jonathan administration, from 2010 to 2015, left behind a country grappling with severe structural weaknesses, from unchecked corruption to alarming insecurity and economic inertia.

“While some may look back on those years with rose-tinted glasses, we must remind ourselves that nostalgia is not a policy platform.

“Emotion cannot drive economic reform, and sentimentality will not fix power generation, insecurity, youth unemployment, or education sector decay,” the APC chieftain said.

Oladejo said that the party also noted the constitutional and political complications of a potential Jonathan candidacy.

According to him, having completed more than one term in office, any return bid will inevitably trigger legal contention and political instability — distractions Nigeria cannot afford in a time when decisive action is needed across all sectors of national life.

“Moreover, the former president’s political relevance has been complicated by his recent engagements across party lines.

“His flirtation with the APC and absence from PDP’s strategic rebuilding efforts raise questions about his loyalty, clarity of vision, and political intentions,” he said.

According to him, the APC remains focused on consolidating progress, implementing reforms, and engaging the Nigerian electorate with fresh ideas and credible candidates who reflect the aspirations of a dynamic, youthful population.

“We believe the future of Nigeria does not lie in recycled leadership but in visionary governance rooted in integrity, innovation, and resilience.

“Former President Jonathan remains a respected elder statesman. His legacy as a peaceful democrat is assured. But legacies are not manifestoes, and nostalgia is not governance.

“We urge Nigerians to reject emotional shortcuts and stay focused on the need for capable, accountable and transformative leadership.

“As 2027 approaches, let us not reach backwards in desperation, but move forward with courage and clarity,” Oladejo said.

Politics

Marafa’s Loyalists Quit APC, Cite Neglect Of Zamfara

Published

1 day ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

Supporters of former Zamfara Central Senator, Kabiru Marafa, have announced their resignation from the All Progressives Congress, citing what they described as injustice, marginalisation and deliberate neglect of the state by the ruling party and President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

The group, operating under the aegis of the Senator Kabiru Marafa Consultative Forum, met in Kaduna on Wednesday and Thursday, August 27 and 28, 2025, to deliberate on the worsening political, security and developmental situation in the state.

At the end of the meeting, the forum issued a communique signed by its chairman, Bashir Mafara, secretary Mannir Tsafe, and seven others, formally announcing their exit from the APC.

The communique partly read, “After broad consultations and critical review of the prevailing circumstances, the political structure of Distinguished Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa OFR, CON across the 147 wards in Zamfara State unanimously resolved as follows:

“The entire structure with all its supporters hereby formally resigns from the All Progressives Congress in protest against the sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalisation, and deliberate neglect of Zamfara State and its people.

“That we shall, in due course, announce our next political direction, guided by the collective interest of the good people of Zamfara State.”

The group expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the state, pointing to official data and community reports on rising kidnappings and killings.

“The Federal Government of Nigeria, under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, hasn’t been able to address the persistent and senseless kidnappings and killings of innocent citizens in Zamfara State, despite the explicit promises made during the 2023 presidential campaign.

“The situation continues to worsen, leaving communities devastated and hopeless,” they said.

The group claimed that reports indicate that out of the 4,722 people kidnapped over one year in Nigeria in 2024, 1,203 are from Zamfara State, followed by Kaduna State with 629.

It added that the Zamfara Circle Community Initiatives reported that 25 villages suffered attacks in one week after the just concluded by-election, with 145 people kidnapped and 21 killed.

The senator’s loyalists also accused the government of politicising insecurity for electoral gains.

On the alleged marginalisation of Zamfara in political appointments and projects, the communique added, “Despite the fact that Zamfara State was one of only two states in the entire North-West geopolitical zone that delivered victory to President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election spearheaded by Distinguished Senator Kabiru Garba Marafa OFR, CON as State Coordinator which the President himself categorically acknowledged during his speech shortly after his declaration as the winner of the 2023 election by INEC, the state has been sidelined in all facets of human developments including protection of lives and properties, infrastructural developments as well as fair representation in political appointments.

“The state was given only a Minister of State, while most states in the Northwest got two slots.

“But more unfair is the allocation given to the Southwest that corners the entire financial sector, with some states getting multiple ministerial slots and countless agencies.

“For example, Lagos state, where President Tinubu lost the election, has enjoyed overwhelming patronage in terms of appointments and developmental projects, underscoring the deliberate marginalisation of Zamfara state, where Mr. President won.”

The forum concluded by accusing the APC leadership of betraying its founding principles of fairness and justice.

“The above actions and omissions negate the fundamental principles of justice, fairness, equity and accountability upon which the APC was founded.

“Conscience demands that genuine progressives must stand for truth and resist injustice, no matter how uncomfortable,” it said.