On-shore/off-shore controversy: North won’t be intimidated, says Niger governor
By Jide Orintunsin, Minna 20 hours 30 minutes ago
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Babangida Aliyu Babangida Aliyu

The North appears set for a long drawn battle for the review of the controversial on-shore/off-shore oil revenue with the Chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF), Dr. Babangida Aliyu, declaring yesterday that contrary to the view in some quarters, the issue is far from settled.

He also said no section of the country can blackmail or intimidate northern governors over their position on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and opposition to state police.

But Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of the oil producing Delta State said at a separate forum that the argument for a fairer allocation of federal oil revenue to the Niger Delta region has not even been won yet.

He said it is provocative when some people make “an enterprise of justifying the suffering in the Niger Delta.”

Both governors spoke 72 hours after the Presidency alleged an “attempt by some politicians to heat up the polity by seeking to reopen fresh conflict and controversy over the on-shore/off-shore abrogation law, which was enacted by the National Assembly in 2004.”

Receiving traditional rulers who paid him Sallah homage in Minna, Governor Aliyu pointed out that if Nigerians can freely discuss the amendment of the Constitution, which is the supreme law guiding of the country, then nothing should stop them from dialoguing on the issue of on-shore/off-shore oil revenue.

This, according to him, is the right way to go with a view to satisfying every part of the country.

He said: ‘’In the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), we noticed that there are many things that will affect our people and we need to discuss it and we need to understand how to approach our members of the national and state assemblies when issues like that come up. We need to discuss it so that the interest of our people who elected us will be protected. Nobody can intimidate us.’’

He said a committee had already been set up by the NSGF to collate Northerners’views on the PIB to guide the governors in taking a final decision.

On state police, he said the Northern governors’ opposition to it remained unchanged “until such a time a superior argument is advanced for the establishment of state-controlled police.”

He added: ‘’We will not be intimidated. If for any reason a superior argument comes forward, I believe we will be able to change our position. But at the moment, we do not see why it should happen that way because we know how, even in those days, the regional police were used to really stop other people from enjoying their fundamental rights.’’

But at a lecture in Asaba, Governor Uduaghan insisted that the cry for resource control by the people of the Niger Delta would never die, because, as he put it, has become “a political term from the efforts of Niger Delta peoples to get a fairer share of their God-given resources and more say in their own affairs in relation to the rest of Nigeria.”

Continuing, he said: “Resource control in that sense, therefore, has become a rallying cry for the long-suffering peoples of the Niger Delta region and understandably subject to various interpretations, depending on the individual’s stand in the country’s often fractious socio-political and economic debates.

“If the demand for resource control has remained trenchant, it is simply because our peoples have for long lived with the stark evidence of a mindless exploitation of the oil resources in their land. “They have lived with the despoliation and degradation of their environments without concomitant benefits to them as a people and to their communities where these resources are.

“As it eventually happened, the wheel turned and they found their voices and are demanding for justice and for their rights, much to the shock of those who want the exploitation to continue unchallenged.

“Surprisingly, some have made an enterprise of justifying the suffering in the Niger Delta in a provocative manner that tends to take the peaceful nature of our peoples for granted. Thankfully, our people have ignored them as we continue the search for justice in the matter.

“The Nigerian economy has largely depended (85 per cent) on earnings from crude oil sales. On the strength of this single point, it is easy to see the fundamental importance of the Niger Delta region to the Nigerian economy and its oil to global energy resource. Sadly, that importance does not reflect on the treatment the region gets from the federation.”

He said people tend to forget what becomes of the Niger Delta “when oil and gas resources finish, as they must one day.”

Gov. Uduaghan said: ” There are two cardinal points, I envisage in this. One, get the most you can from oil now as you transform to a post-oil era, because like it or not, that era must come. Two, develop other sources of revenue and diversify your economy to optimise available options or create them.”

He described the agitation for more revenue allocation to the oil producing states as “ a progressive issue on the national agenda.”

He said the resources required for a total revamp of the Niger Delta region are “enormous, far more than the present 13 per cent derivation can ever address.

“The rest of the federation must do what is right to the Niger Delta region. We must go back to what served us well at the very beginning of this nation. There must be fiscal federalism. People must benefit from what they produce. No one is by this saying that the peoples of this federation do not have a responsibility to one another. We must remain our brothers’ keepers.”

The Presidency in a statement on Wednesday said there is no need for the fresh controversy at this point in time.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media, Dr.Reuben Abati, who signed the statement, said: “The Presidency views with grave concern the current attempt by some politicians to heat up the polity by seeking to reopen fresh conflict and controversy over the onshore/offshore abrogation law which was enacted by the National Assembly in 2004.

http://www.thenationonlineng.net/2011/news/59004-on-shore-off-shore-controversy%3A-north-won%E2%80%99t-be-intimidated%2C-says-niger-governor.html

Northern governors can not intimidate us to part with our resources.

I wonder where all the so called "Niger deltans" are now. They won't show up now. The more they avoid direct confrontation with the North over things like this, the more I think that Ndigbo should support the North in them, because we should not fight their wars for them, especially as some of them would rather fight Igbo than aboki.

I hope that Ohanaeze will stay away from this until we know who to support for sure.

Onlytruth: I wonder where all the so called "Niger deltans" are now. They won't show up now. The more they avoid direct confrontation with the North over things like this, the more I think that Ndigbo should support the North in them, because we should not fight their wars for them, especially as some of them would rather fight Igbo than aboki.

I hope that Ohanaeze will stay away from this until we know who to support for sure.

lol...seriously, you are a clown!

we(SE) can never give any suport to the North no mater what.

We must stand with our SS brothers or at worst stand alone,

but its our duty to stand with then in times of trouble.

the north are evil and wicked bounch.

[color=#006600][/color]

Onlytruth: I wonder where all the so called "Niger deltans" are now. They won't show up now. The more they avoid direct confrontation with the North over things like this, the more I think that Ndigbo should support the North in them, because we should not fight their wars for them, especially as some of them would rather fight Igbo than aboki.

I hope that Ohanaeze will stay away from this until we know who to support for sure.

Yes,u r indeed right and very sensible too!!
Give d north ur support so they can finish
The assignment they started on those 2
Enugu boys in their farm on the rest of u!!!

I understand what point onlytruth is trying to make, yes he is right that some south south would rather fight us throw abusive words at us than to actually fight abokis and co, as they don't seem to be serious or honest about what they really want and only screaming at indigbo to break out of nigeria with them, merely for a lip service, however, we will never give our support to the north come what may. We are better off on our own simple.

SS can never stand up against the north because they latched onto the Core north
to do some despicable things against their neighbors that shocked even some pious bunch among core notherners.

They can throw abusive words because they still see you as their target but they are caught in between two options,
to forget their oil and be in good terms with their allies to give them muscles to oppress and dispossess their neighbors
or make up with their neighbors especially now that the whole of IGBOLAND is smelling oil, and oil galore.The core north knows this
situations of the SS and thats why they can tell them that they can not be intimidated and i don't like the core northerners for their audaciousness when it comes to SS oil.

But at the same time,SS having control of their resources will be in our complete best interest because it will expose all
the groups in nigeria to be in their natural position not the artificial position that was created by oil patronage induced
corruption.By then,you will see that with out oil,the fake one nigeria passion will be a bye-gone.They have tasted their oil
money not like 1967 and they will continue to demand more as their population continue to increase but the question is,can nigeria
continue to give more?the answer will determine the future of nigeria and the continuous position of SS and what SE will do.

why we wont answer them is because we know they are drowning people. He whom d Gods what to kill, he makes him mard first b4 death

Onlytruth: I wonder where all the so called "Niger deltans" are now. They won't show up now. The more they avoid direct confrontation with the North over things like this, the more I think that Ndigbo should support the North in them, because we should not fight their wars for them, especially as some of them would rather fight Igbo than aboki.

I hope that Ohanaeze will stay away from this until we know who to support for sure.

What makes you think, we are avoiding confrontation? We are there and we are watching. The confrontation must come and with or without the ibo we will win. The manner of the confrontation is what you seem to have problems with. Just chill and watch.

they are treading on a dagerous ground. foolish governors thinking like boko haram

Hausa must go. They are too retrogresive to associate with us. state police, no, true federalism, no, PIB, no, regional goverment, no, every good thing no, boko haram yes

I have seen that the way fake people like yourself in particular jump to attack or over read meanings into whatever Igbo posters say here is the reason Onlytruth made that comment.I have gone through most of comments on this forum,the way in which you are too excited to spit on Igbos is very disturbing even when the topic has nothing to do with niger delta, that really got me to wonder if you are really not one of those posing as "niger deltans" on this forum. Before I forget, it will be good to remind you your hatred for Goodluck Jonathan as I have also read where you joined with those who promised to make him a laughing subject on this forum to bash him up, now I ask again which region or zone are you originally from and who are you working for or what are you hoping to achieve on this forum with such snake like attitude?

Johndoe100:

What makes you think, we are avoiding confrontation? We are there and we are watching. The confrontation must come and with or without the ibo we will win. The manner of the confrontation is what you seem to have problems with. Just chill and watch.

Noiseless2: I have seen that the way fake people like yourself in particular jump to attack or over read meanings into whatever Igbo posters say here is the reason Onlytruth made that comment.I have gone through most of comments on this forum,the way in which you are too excited to spit on Igbos is very disturbing even when the topic has nothing to do with niger delta, that really got me to wonder if you are really not one of those posing as "niger deltans" on this forum. Before I forget, it will be good to remind you your hatred for Goodluck Jonathan as I have also read where you joined with those who promised to make him a laughing subject on this forum to bash him up, now I ask again which region or zone are you originally from and who are you working for or what are you hoping to achieve on this forum with such snake like attitude?

This is what happens when you smoke bad dope. I assume you are ibo? I am not surprised.

You are damn right! I'm Igbo and no hiding no posing behind other peoples ethnic group with multiple ids, unlike yourselves that would prefer posing behind other people's ethnic group to cause trouble for them.

Johndoe100:

This is what happens when you smoke bad dope. I assume you are ibo? I am not surprised.

How the USA does it!

Background

While inland states have historically shared 50 percent [/b]of all revenues generated from royalties and bids for onshore oil and natural gas production with the federal government, states producing offshore oil and gas beyond the first three miles of federal waters off of their shores have not. However,[b] this has since changed.

Enacted on December 20, 2006, The Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) created revenue sharing provisions for several oil and natural gas producing states while increasing access to oil and natural gas supplies in the Gulf of Mexico (Gulf). The revenue sharing provisions allocated a share of oil and natural gas revenues to Alabama, Louisiana, Mississipi and Texas for directly supporting offshore activities and onshore infrastructure.

From 2007 through 2016, the four Gulf oil and gas producing states will share 37.5 percent of revenues from new leases in the 0.5 million acres in the Eastern Gulf and the 5.8 million acres in the Central Gulf. After 2016, they will share 37.5 percent of revenues from all Gulf leases issued after December 2006.

Importance of revenue sharing for local governments, states and consumers
Revenue sharing from production on federal waters is critical, as it significantly benefits local governments, promotes national economic interests and generates additional federal revenues by increasing state and local participation. Such sharing facilitates a closer partnership among federal, state, and local agencies. Individual states are also afforded additional opportunities to dedicate funds to vital coastal areas and projects, such as coastal conservation, restoration and hurricane protection. In fact, Louisiana has directed that all monies derived from offshore revenue sharing go to coastal protection, wetland mitigation efforts and hurricane protection measures.

Other states have recently expressed a desire to receive the same benefits from oil and gas production off of their coasts, similar to those received by the Gulf states. Several coastal states, such as Virginia, South Carolina and Georgia, have expressed interest in understanding more about their available offshore resources and the royalty revenues that could be derived if development were to occur.
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