-By Zik Gbemre
OKUAMA & MAJ GEN OLANREWAJU'S CHILDISH BIAS, IGNORANCE
Major-General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (retired)'s dog barking is no solution to any sustainable peace in the Niger-Delta, particularly in Delta State.
Olanrewaju said" constitutionally recognised military institutions should be well positioned and equipped to do the job through specially trained and strategically built force like it is done in India and Venezuela.
"The nation derives its revenue from these resources...... The NSA and military High command must come out with a new creek defence planned policy to include the crude oil zone, oil platform, the offshore assets and resources to support them by laws, regulations and the constitution."
Olanrewaju talks about protection of crude oil and gas without suggesting any commitment by the federal government and oil companies that will be operated by educated young natives of the oil producing communities. All he is interested is how to take the crude oil and gas from the local communities but silent on employment of natives in NNPCL and oil companies.
Look at the top management of the oil companies and NNPCL, how many natives of these communities are decision making management personnel of these oil companies. How many of our people are in NNPCL and oil companies?
The question to Olanrewaju is, who owns most of oil and gas assets? Who operates the oil & gas assets in the Delta state? Agreed few violent militants are given multi-billion surveillance contracts to safe guard the oil and gas assets? Who are the illegal bunkerers?
You, Tajudeen Olanrewaju, talked about military guarding assets without the security and welfare of the natives. All you are interested is the mining and production of the natural resources of the people. How many of our young educated locals/natives that are working in NNPCL and the oil companies apart from operations support jobs, surveillance jobs, gate keeping jobs, grass cutting and house keeping jobs?
My experience regarding marginalisation of the natives of the land where these crude oil and gas are being produced in my home town of Iwhrekan community in Ughelli South is bad, very bad. The oil companies apply 'divide and rule'.
I know of a simple catering contract by a native of my community that was terminated because someone who is a stranger is interested in it. Most of the military officers they post to man oil installations are contractors of oil companies in collaboration with personnel to cheat on the locals. Who are the big illegal bunkerers? They are connected to the military officers and security operatives.
The military are not here to guard any oil & gas pipeline and facilities but aid illegal bunkering and collaborate with oil thieves. I count myself as a person who fought hard to stop illegal bunkering in Utorogu Assets Right of Way Pipeline in Ughelli South LGA and no thank you but rather they use few people to fight me in divide and rule by oil company operating in Delta state and Delta politicians.
I am proud of my achievements to protect the oil assets and save the environment from pollution and degradation in Delta voluntarily. Those military officers in Delta state lobbied to be posted here to make money from illegal oil bunkering and other illegal trade.
The Illegal bunkering is majorly caused by the commanders of the security operatives in Niger Delta, the politicians and the oil companies. They prefer to operate in atmosphere of confusion. Can you safeguard the oil and gas assets when hunger is in the land? Most of the problems are due to lack of sincerity.
Tell me, what is NNPCL and oil and gas regulators doing in Lagos and Abuja? To be employing their younger brothers and sons and post them from Abuja and Lagos to here and work in the oil and gas assets in Delta state. Do you expect the natives to be happy? It won't work if you decide to station the military in every community and give them weapons to kill.
Will they kill every native/local to forcefully take their oil and gas?
We have children that are well educated but they are deprived of working unless menial jobs of cleaning, grass cutting, gate keeping, operations support jobs and surveillance guards.
I don't support killing of any military officer and civilians but there are a lot of wrong doings in the communities where oil and gas are produced.
'Packs of lies and pretence' will not bring sustainable peace. In this 21st century you can't use military might to restore sustainable peace. You, Tajudeen Olanrewaju if the oil and gas were in your home village will you be happy that strangers are the ones operating all the assets without meaningful impacts on the lives of natives.
Strangers do all the major contracts. This is what is happening in Utorogu Gas Plant in Delta state. They employ their brothers and children and you expect the natives of oil producing areas to be happy. They keep their head offices in far away in Abuja and Lagos.
I still remember when the MAKON ENGINEERING GROUP owned by Gov Abiodun Makinde of Oyo state was given the contract to build Utorogu GAS Plant Phase 2, also known as Utorogu NAG 2 in Delta state. The community locals benefited from the construction site from start to finish.
The locals were empowered and learnt a lot of skills which they now use to earn a living. Since they left no oil servicing company and operating oil company has impacted meaningfully on lives of community locals. It is 'divide and rule' and no sincerity. The company's management personnel talk one thing today and tomorrow they will say a different thing.
Nigeria is a country where the violent and criminals are recognised and rewarded. The peaceful people are derided, neglected. Tajudeen Olanrewaju's approach to the critical issues are outdated and can't achieve sustainable & peaceful environment for production of oil and gas.
If Major-General Olanrewaju has nothing to say then he should keep silent. He should advise his brother President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to withdraw his army of occupation from Okuama community in Ughelli South LGA of Delta. Burning down of the Okuama community will further heat up the already tensed environment.
You can't use petrol to quench fire rather than it will increase the fire. Killing of Okuama Community locals should stop and let them build peace in Okuama community. No person is talking of the illegal invitation of the soldiers to Okuama that were killed? No person is talking of the burnt down community houses of Okuama by Soldiers.
No one is talking of Okuama people that are being killed. No person is talking of displacement of Okuama locals. No one is talking of those who invited soldiers to Okuama. No person is talking how to provide relief materials, medicines and shelters to the innocent locals who are displaced from their home village.
What peace mission are the military referring to? What peace mission is Major- General Tajudeen Olanrewaju referring to?
As narrated by Michael Egi in online statement," The Nigerian Army are available for rent at the right price for wealthy individuals. They go on these private missions on the cover or uniform of their service. One of the military officers killed in Okuama Major Obi is the Platoon Commander in Utorogu Gas Plant, sent there to guard the plant, but rented himself and some members of his platoon out on an illegal private mission to Okuama community of Ughelli South LGA.
These soldiers were not on official assignment at Okuama. Their official assignment was Utorogu Gas Plant."
The military shouldn't mixed up the killings in Okuama to illegal bunkering. Okuama has no oil and gas assets. It is embarrassing that President Tinubu has not visited Okuama community to see for self the level of destruction by the soldiers in Okuama community in Ughelli South LGA of Delta state.
Major-General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (retired) statement is a ploy to divert from the burning issues at Okuama community in Ughelli South. It is aimed to twist the killings in Okuama community to illegal bunkering. What has illegal bunkering got to do with the killings and burning down entire village of Okuama?
This propaganda of connecting Illegal bunkering to the killings of soldiers, killing of Okuama community locals and burning down of the entire community must stop.
Zik Gbemre
March 23,2024
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