The one day parley held on Thursday, 12th of November 2020 in the conference Hall of Ibom Hotels and Golf Resorts at Uyo the Akwa Ibom state capital, had over fifty media houses in attendance.
In his welcome remarks and rationale, Mr. Eke Epia of OrderPaper said that the people of the Niger Delta who are host communities to Oil Companies in the country have benefitted nothing from the proceeds of the Oil and Gas dominated economy. Instead of benefits, he said, the region had suffered amongst other things environmental degradation, environmental population, oil spills, unemployment, denial of opportunities to involvment in the Oil and gas businesses.
He went on to explain further that the Oil and Gas in the soil of the Niger Delta had been like a curse to the people because of violent activities occasioned by denial of rights, agitations, oppression, militarization and and all the circumstances of unpalatable consequences in the region and called on the media to play her role in these words:
"Every of the newspapers we publish carry a message a message as important as the messages or stories we read in every other medium in the world.
"So, it is important for the media in the Niger Delta to look critically into the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and contribute meaningful ideas to involve, include or give a place for host communities in the bill..." Mr.Epia emphasized.
Also speaking, Michael Uzoigwe, PhD expressed appreciation for the turn out of attendees and urged them to consider themselves as partners to revamp the oil sector.
He said when FOSTER started, 2011, the level of the oil sector was very low, because those in power didn't allow the PIB to be passed. So, civil societies, the media and others were engaged to study the problem and to find solutions. He highlighted some of the problems as follows!
* We need to do somethings particularly and especially development host communities in the Niger Delta.
*The budget need to be enough for the development of the Niger Delta.
*The laws are archaic and need to be changed.
*We have to work together, and share ideas.
And to solve these problems, he said, everyone has his role to play either as media leader and as a person from the region. Hear this:
"What is the role for me as a media leader or as a person, how do we convey these messages to the communities and the nation? he posited
Throwing more light to the subject matter, Uzoigwe made a revelation that:
"The PIB had not received host communities involvement, and the bill has passed second reading, opinion moulding is the function of the media, so you need to know what is around you or what is going on, so as to adequatly enlighten and educate the masses."
Engr. Joe Nwakwue spoke on the title PIB and the deal for host communities took an overview of issues about the Niger Delta which he said is the widest wetland in Africa, and pointed out that in Nigeria nine states make the Niger Delta Region with challenges such as:
Degradation, Infrastructural challenges, Oil spills, lose of mangroves, gas flaring, shoreline erosion etc.
Engr. Nwokwue traced the history of Oil production and it's challenges to the 1950s. Read:
"We have been talking about Oil spills in 1957 which affect plant life, pipeline corrosion and blow out, equipment failures, pipeline vandalism, illegal refineries, and bunkering amongst others.
"In 2018, about 25,000 barrels of crude oil was spilled into the Niger Delta environment, the water was polluted. the trees that protect the eco-system were also destroyed including fishes."
He spoke about the dangers of gas flaring and said, Nigeria in 2019 flared 325 billions of gas and aimed to reduce flare by 2020 to 20%. He went further to say that gas flare contributed to global warming, and the endemic poverty suffered by host communities in the Niger Delta, in the areas of health hazards, it confuses and disorientates norcturnal animals, it degrades building materials eg. roofing sheets and blocks. A fisherman and his catch, oil in the belly of the fish brings diseases, cancer etc.
Oil pollution destroys the mainstay of the people which is fishing and farming, Engr. Nwakwue explained.
He noted that the Federal Government took measures to address the challenges of the Niger Delta Region at different times and in the following ways:
"Government attributed the under-development to the terrain and came up with:
*Oil Miniral Producing Areas Commission (OMPADEC)
*Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
*Nigerian Content Development Management Board (NCDMB) to co-ordinated and to formulate policies to better the lot of the region, but that did solve the problem, that is why according to him the PIB has become a child of necessity to change the narrative of the Nigerian economic history. Quote:
"PIB is one of the oldest bills at the National Assembly to make the Oil and Gas sector more transparent, increase the Oil derivation to 13% is an attempt by the Federal Government to develop Oil Producing communities in the Niger Delta, but the PIB with the integration of host communities will bring peace and development to all sectors."
Media Intervention and Community Engagement Strategy, Monday Ashibogwu said the media indeed has a challenge to reach out with information on the subject matter which is the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) that is before the National Assembly to be passed into Law, but called on the to the as national and not just about the Niger Delta, because it is a national affair. Hear him:
"... when I talk about Oil, I talk about communities, all Oil bearing communities, in other words, host communities not just the Niger Delta, because every part of this country has been shortchanged.
We have separate emotions from the job, this PIB we are talking about has taken 19 years to be passed. As Journalists we need to make enough research before coming out with our stories but mostly with national content and national interest; especially on national issues like the PIB we are talking about."
He said Niger Delta Journalists should avoid sensationalism in writing their stories, they should understand that those that will read them are not ordinary people; but personalities of high standing, he therefore urged practitioners to ensure that their news content or narratives are always right and objective.
Hear him:
"It is not the best to be hot tempered while writing, threat is not the answer, but issue based factual report makes rational and objective journalism, while those who threatened authority attract Governments watchful eyes or descending on them.
He also called on the Niger Delta Journalists to separate propaganda from news and while writing a story not to make the mistake of putting a wrong picture or failing to check the facts before publishing. He used the medium to emphasize the importance of the use of words in journalism with avoidance of untrue stories and rumour mongering.
High point of the parley was that, though oil gas had been the air Nigeria breaths through the Niger Delta there had not been enough benefit to be proud about for a number of reasons:
*We have severe balance between the center and the sub national units.
* Nigeiria does not know and don't care to know the overall function of oil and gas to the nation's economy.
* As Nigeiria is growing productivity should have been growing too; but we have become unproductive, because we fight over what we have instead of producing, even if the cake is fading we don't care.
*Nigeiria created a oil and gas exporting business, not oil producing, and that was what we were doing in 1950, that is what we are doing in 2020.
*If you see the FAAC figure you may not be comfortable with the people of the Niger Delta, but 'some of the money went into audio' it never got to the region.
* We need environmental laws for oil and gas companies to live with host communities.
*The PIB is expected to give peace and devolopment to all oil and gas host communities wbich the Federal Goverment had been yearning to achieve for many years.
The Media practitioner as a resolutely declared support for the PIB to be passed to Law without further delay for the peace and prosperity of the nation.
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