High Chief Godspower Gbenekama (JP) is one personality whose name and voice have become synonymous with the agitation against the high-handed level of injustices perpetrated by the Federal Government of Nigeria alongside the multinational oil and gas companies, to the disadvantage of not only the impoverished people of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta state, but across the region and beyond. It was this outspokenness that earned him the traditional appellate title, 'Fiyewei (Spokesperson) of Gbaramatu Kingdom'.

Recall also that this maximum neglect by the General Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government against the oil and gas producing region as pronounced in its continued lopsided appointments and biased allocation of projects away from the region, had necessitated the South-South leader, Chief (Dr.) E. K. Clark, OFR, CON, a former Minister of Information and Senator of the 2nd Republic, to pen an open letter to the president on June 12.

And just recently, precisely on June 28, the outspoken High Chief Gbenekama on behalf of the Gbaramatu Traditional Council of Chiefs, has also written an open letter calling on the President Buhari's administration, already in its second tenure, to halt the tidal waves of marginalisation against the kingdom by addressing the list of its demands, failing which "we will shut down ALL Oil and Gas operations in our homeland Ten (10) days after the publication of this letter."

Before towing this action, according to High Chief Gbenekama in the open letter to Mr. President said, "Your Excellency, you will recall that Gbaramatu Kingdom has kept to our end of the social contract that enabled the end of the previous dangerous era of agitation that was prevalent in Gbaramatu Kingdom, and has led to a situation where Gbaramatu is one of the safest places to live, do business and visit in Nigeria, despite your government’s refusal to treat us fairly. In this letter, we will state a few of an inexhaustible list of grievances that threaten the continued peaceful upholding of this social contract that has now turned one sided."

The traditional chief went on to list some of the kingdom's grievances against the Federal Government and oil companies as: the Omadinor-Escravos Road Project that would improve economic relations between the kingdom and its neighbours but has been put on indefinite hold by the Buhari administration; the abrupt abandonment of the multi-billion dollar Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Gas Revolution Industrial Park, Ogidigben and Deep Sea Port Project, Gbaramatu that would have created thousands of direct and indirect jobs; the absence of Federal Government presence in terms of infrastructures and the devastating side effects of pollution in the kingdom; failure of the oil and gas companies to keep to their bargain in lighting up communities in the kingdom "while Gas is piped from our communities to provide electricity to the North, West and other areas"; the relocation of the floating dock/shipyard originally planned to be situated close to the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko to provide students hands-on experience; the blatant lopsided appointments into various national agencies with no room for Gbaramatu indigenes despite its stated high contribution to the national cake, amidst other issues.

Continuing in the letter, according to the Fiyewei of Gbaramatu Kingdom, "This continued, untoward, deplorable and disgraceful marginalisation has been brought to a head with the news of the recently announced bidding process for 57 Marginal Fields, offered by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR). We are by this medium, announcing our total and unequivocal objection to a bidding process that has for long excluded well to do, and capable Gbaramatu indigenes" as he challenged the government by saying, "If we are wrong in this assertion, we hereby call on the Federal Government and all its Oil and Gas agencies to within ten (10) days publish the names of any and all Gbaramatu indigenes that have directly benefited from any of these bidding processes."

Indeed, the deplorable state and living condition in the Niger Delta region, most especially the coastal communities wherein oil exploration activities have their bases, is quite a shameful one. This has been the sorry state since inception. But more disappointing is the fact that for a government that came to power on a 'Change' mantra, its act of nepotism has brought absolutely no change whatsoever to the people of the region as they watched helplessly the state of their affairs continue to degenerate more and more into the abyss of poverty arising out of unemployment and pollution of the environment.

Since 2015 to date, no tangible development has taken place in the kingdom. Meanwhile, the President is set to flag off the construction of the $2.8 billion 614km Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) natural gas pipeline, the single biggest gas pipeline project in Nigeria’s history, by Tuesday June 30, 2020, in Ajaokuta (Kogi State) and Rigachikun (Kaduna State) aimed at boosting domestic gas consumption, power generation, and industrialization. The AKK pipeline project will carry gas between the southern and northern parts of the country with extension to North Africa. Add to this the countless number of projects ongoing in the northern parts of the country. It is therefore not surprising that there seems to be a reawakening in the region over government's neglect of the region.

In that light, the Gbaramatu Traditional Council of Chiefs went on to list the following demands of the kingdom to President Buhari: to restart the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Gas Revolution Industrial Park, Ogidigben and Deep Seaport, Gbaramatu Project; to restart the Omadinor-Excravos road Project that was discontinued by your administration; to immediately halt the current bidding process for the 57 Marginal Fields and come up with modalities where competent companies owned by Gbaramatu sons and daughters will be given the right of first refusal on fields located in Gbaramatu and within the Warri South-West Local Government Area; the urgent and immediate relocation to Gbaramatu of the Floating Dock/Ship Building Yard; and a clear path to employment and appointment opportunities for our capable sons and daughters, while stressing that, "If these demands are not considered and modalities put in place for their achievement, we will shut down ALL Oil and Gas operations in our homeland Ten (10 ) days after the publication of this letter."

With the current novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic already ravaging world economies and which has also seriously impacted negatively on Nigeria whose dependence on the oil and gas sector has remained tantamount, it is sad to say that the government's actions on its part have only ended up in exacerbating the prolong issue of the region's underdevelopment and neglect. As such it behoves on the government to take pragmatic steps to look at the issues raised in its bid to address the series of grievances as stated in the letter.

The Niger Delta region, most especially the coastal communities have continued to be a hot bed of conflicts largely because of the high level of injustices perpetrated on a daily basis against inhabitants of the coastal areas. While their locations are tagged as disadvantage areas, that description does not in anyway stop the exploration of oil and gas and the harnessing of same resources for export to boost the country's revenue and foreign exchange.

Indeed as High Chief Gbenekama stated, "The goose that lays the golden eggs is tired of seeing said eggs carted away and enjoyed by everyone else without any discernible impact on its environment." It is only hoped that the Buhari government would heed the proverb which says, "the voice of men is the voice of God" by listening to the various calls from eminent personalities in different parts of the country by choosing to do the right thing: STOP THE ONGOING MARGINALISATION.

We can only hope that things would not get to a boiling point before the right things are done.

#penglobaldiscourse #Gbaramatu

First published on PENGlobal Facebook Page on June 29, 2020