Deputy Dean faculty of law, University of Abuja, Dr. Shehu Abdullahi, yesterday, asserted that crude oil abounds in commercial quantity in the northern part of Nigeria but the "geo-politics of Nigeria" was delaying its exploitation. Speaking exclusively to LEADERSHIP in Abuja, Abdullahi, an expert in environmental law and policy, stressed that the issue was "a sensitive political issue," and insisted that that was the factor delaying the exploitation of the vital resource from the area. He said: "We have four oil basins in the country; the Niger Delta Basin, which is the producing basin at the moment, and the three other basins including the Lake Chad Basin, the Benue Trough and the Rima Basin. The Lake Chad Basin stretches from Chad Republic into Lake Chad across the international boundary into Borno State, part of Yobe State and even part of Bauchi State. "The Benue Trough stretches from River Benue up to Baro in Niger State. The Rima Basin stretches from Niger Republic into Nigerian States of Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina. I have no doubt in my mind that there is oil in the north, but it is a sensitive political issue." He disclosed that one of the factors militating against aggressive oil search in Northern Nigeria was southern anxiety over the political implication of the North producing oil and stressed that "if this anxiety can be assuaged, we will discover oil in the north. "I am not a geologist, but let me explain; Niger Republic has started producing oil and at the moment much of the refined petroleum products that are marketed in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto States, and to an extent Kano State are brought in from Niger Republic. "If you look at where the oil was discovered in Niger Republic, it is actually the same geological formation, same stretch of the same Rima Basin which stretches across states like Kebbi, Sokoto, and Katsina. "Geologically speaking, if they can discover oil where they did, we can discover oil where we are in the north. "It is a sensitive political issue and what is making it impossible is not the environment, but the geo-politics of Nigeria." Asked if the oil industry was better managed now than in the military era, Abdullahi disclosed, "The truth of the matter is that the industry has been hijacked by the oil cabal, and the only difference is that during the military regime they were in military uniform and now they are in their babariga. But they belong to the same cabal. "For me, based on facts, what is happening now is a continuation of the military, because it is the same people that were involved in the industry that are still involved in bridging, supply, contracts, deunitisation, and other technical contracts. It is the same cabal," the university don said. Abdullahi, maintained that oil deposits in the north when found would add to the nation's collective wealth which no state or region could claim. He said that it would be the wealth of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and added "Oil does not belong to the North, but to the federal government. There is no federating unit or state that has the right to enter into any oil exploration and development agreement with any oil company; it is the prerogative of the federal government. But until or unless we depoliticise the issue, we will never make genuine progress, he added." The Dean of Law said, "The damage to the industry accelerated with the coming of the civilian administration, and if we go by the level of acceleration, we could actually say that the industry has been worse off during the civilian regime than what it used to be in the military regime. "Let us take the subsidy issue, for instance, during the Abacha regime, it was not as widespread as it is under the civilian dispensation, because during the civilian administration, there are many mouths to feed, and the civilian authority is obligated to create opportunities for the 'boys'. Also, if you look at the faces of the people involved right from the military era to the democratic dispensation, they are the same people. It is just that the club of those that have hijacked the oil industry has actually increased.

and this is a joke how?

Cos I am presently in Sokoto and I know this claim is all political and no substance. Just because neigbouring countries are begining to explore the basins and prolly discovered there might be oil, does not mean the FG should not consider the viabilty of going all the way with reluctance. If they are so convinced of their claims then they should tow the Anambra government part of patnering with FG to allow them fund the exploration of the basins instead of waiting endlessly for FG. Anambra is now amongst the oil producing states, all that was posible because the state took the initiative to fund exploration and set up the oil mining company to do everything. They did not sit hands akimbo waiting for Jonathan to throw money around. That is the joke.

Just because Anambra found oil and making judicious use of their resources&ingenuity,every d*ck,tom& harry,thinks up oil!first it was Kogi claiming they shld ve a cut of Anambra oil,then the mullahs in the North are postulating theories that shld force mother nature to give them oil!am waiting for the slippery yorubas via Tinubus ACN to come up with claims of oil in ogun,ekiti,ibadan etc!however,i wish all Nigerians goodluck in this oil quest!

wetin oyel go cause ehn. . .

Austine.E:
Just because Anambra found oil and making judicious use of their resources&ingenuity,every d*ck,tom& harry,thinks up oil![b]first it was Kogi claiming they shld ve a cut of Anambra oil,[/b]then the mullahs in the North are postulating theories that shld force mother nature to give them oil!am waiting for the slippery yorubas via Tinubus ACN to come up with claims of oil in ogun,ekiti,ibadan etc!however,i wish all Nigerians goodluck in this oil quest!

Young man, take your arse to Ibaji in KOGI state. You'll see the oil there.

Austine.E:
Just because Anambra found oil and making judicious use of their resources&ingenuity,every d*ck,tom& harry,thinks up oil!first it was Kogi claiming they shld ve a cut of Anambra oil,then the mullahs in the North are postulating theories that shld force mother nature to give them oil!am waiting for the slippery yorubas via Tinubus ACN to come up with claims of oil in ogun,ekiti,ibadan etc!however,i wish all Nigerians goodluck in this oil quest!

Your post reeks of tribalism and you should hang your head in shame! Whether you like it or NOT, any oil resource in Nigeria is shared to the 36 States + FCT! Even if you die with your tribalists, the oil wealth will still ve shared! Does it not make sense that any encouragement, competition, conversation, etc that will put other states under positive pressure to start to look into exploring their resources is the way to go? Do you know if they did not find oil but find, for example, gold deposits worth $400 B, where do you think that money is going? To everyone including Anambra! The (alcohol) taxes collected by the ACN controlled government of Lagos, the port, etc is shared by every state only they do not write on each naira note where it came from, now use your brain to see the way to go is to encourage, push, nudge, etc everyone to do something! Ekiti is said to be a small state but they seem to have more professors than most states of Nigeria, well if they earn more money than the average Nigerian teacher and pay more taxes which some find their way to the federal government, that money is still shared!! In as much as any state has taken money / benefited from another state since the existence of Nigeria, it becomes almost impossible for a state that now begins to earn more money to thump its nose at others or claim something belongs to it exclusively. Grow-up little boy!

CyberG:

Your post reeks of tribalism and you should hang your head in shame! Whether you like it or NOT, any oil resource in Nigeria is shared to the 36 States + FCT! Even if you die with your tribalists, the oil wealth will still ve shared! Does it not make sense that any encouragement, competition, conversation, etc that will put other states under positive pressure to start to look into exploring their resources is the way to go? Do you know if they did not find oil but find, for example, gold deposits worth $400 B, where do you think that money is going? To everyone including Anambra! The (alcohol) taxes collected by the ACN controlled government of Lagos, the port, etc is shared by every state only they do not write on each naira note where it came from, now use your brain to see the way to go is to encourage, push, nudge, etc everyone to do something! Ekiti is said to be a small state but they seem to have more professors than most states of Nigeria, well if they earn more money than the average Nigerian teacher and pay more taxes which some find their way to the federal government, that money is still shared!! In as much as any state has taken money / benefited from another state since the existence of Nigeria, it becomes almost impossible for a state that now begins to earn more money to thump its nose at others or claim something belongs to it exclusively. Grow-up little boy!

You write too much BS all the time, irrelevant bullshit!
Who told you Lagos state shares internally generated revenue with FG, are you high BS? Abeg talk about the things you know instead of spreading lies and stupifying ignorance.