25112022

20 — Vanguard, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2022
As oil finally flows into the North, Niger Delta
concerns move up
•Lack of access roads, basic infrastructure worry Bauchi residents
By Charly Agwam, Bauchi
THE natives are excited to earn
the appellation "oil-producing
community." They are equally
thrilled that history has added them
to the list of Nigerians whose state
will now be receiving additional
monthly cash as a derivation from
commercial oil production, as
many other oil-bearing states in the
country’s South have been
collecting for many decades. All of
this has impacted the people of
Bauchi and Gombe states, which are
home to the Kolmani oil fields OPL
809 and OPL 810. The
nomenclature of the communities
changed for good on Tuesday when
President Muhmmadu Buhari led
a star-studded team of oil industry
captains, technocrats, and
politicians to officially inaugurate
the drilling of oil in a field estimated
to have a huge reserve of one billion
barrels of crude and 500 billion
cubic feet of gas, in the Gongola
Basin of the Upper Benue Trough,
straddling Bauchi and Gombe
states.
The inauguration of oil production
by President Buhari marks a turning
point, as it is the first time in the history
of Nigeria that oil is being pumped in
the northern part of the country since
commercial oil production started in
Oloibiri, in present-day Bayelsa State,
in 1956. But even before the oil is taken
down for business, some natives of
Bauchi, where the oil field is situated,
have raised concerns over the absence
of basic amenities in the area and the
possible environmental challenges
they may encounter when oil
production begins in earnest. Some
noted their concerns about the
By Peter Duru, Makurdi
FOR a very long period, they
lived with their failing health
and could not afford the cost of
seeking proper medical attention.
Nobody was even there to help
them. They had serious eye
problems and could not see or go
on their own to where they could
access any form of assistance. and
also had no one to turn to for help.
Frustrated and handicapped, they
merely placed their hope in God
that one day something would be
done to change their predicament.
That long wait was finally over a
complete lack of infrastructure in the
area and the supposed body-language
of the Federal Government since oil
was discovered in Kolmani in
commercial quantities in 2019.
Muhammed Hardawa, a resident
who spoke to Arewa Voice, expressed
concern that the project would not
provide them with adequate benefits
because the government had not paid
much attention to providing critical
infrastructure such as roads, water,
hospitals, and electricity for the area
prior to Mr. President's historic flagoff.
They reasoned that while the
inauguration was enough to earn
more votes for the president and his
party in the next election, the fortunes
of the natives had not been adequately
catered for given the absence of social
amenities. The community leader said,
"Let me tell you, nothing adds up if you
want to look at the facts. Do you know
that the road leading to the site is an
eyesore? Where are the infrastructural
projects that have been put in place to
maximise the potential of the oil field?
If this wasn't just politics, why didn't
the government complete the 87-
kilometre Alkaleri-Futuk Road that is
so pivotal to the success of the oil
exploration, after awarding the
contract seven years ago?
"In 2019, the president came here to
do something similar after they said
that they found oil in commercial
quantities. So tell me why the road
leading to the exploration site was not
completed. Why did the president go
to the site in a chopper if the road was so
good for investors to use? I think it's
time for us to start asking questions
rather than saying yes to
everything." Another resident,
Ahmed Farouk, who praised the
•Some of the patients waiting to be checked by the medical team
few days ago, when 2,100
indigent people from Benue State's
Turan and Ikyurav-ya Kwande
Local Government Areas received
free eye care. The surgeries were
performed first to clear their sight,
and then prescribed eyeglasses
were given to them free of charge,
all in a bid to help them see again
and be able to organise their lives.
The operations were carried out
through a medical outreach
sponsored by the Patricia Nyion
Adzape Foundation. The two-day
medical outreach, which
witnessed a large turnout, was put
together by some donors who
benefited from the education
Federal Government's project,
suggested that important lessons be
drawn from the Niger Delta oil
exploration experience in order to
benefit northern communities and
prevent conflicts, as well as pave the
way for a peaceful community
relationship with the oil firms that are
likely to do business in the areas.
Farouk said, "I welcome the discovery
of oil in the North and the prosperity it
would bring. But it needs to be said
that we must prepare for it. If not,
instead of being a blessing, it would
become a curse. It is a good thing
that the two concerned states
(Bauchi and Gombe) have
decided to work together, but
beyond that, they must ensure
that it benefits the host
communities and the country at
large. There's no doubt that a lot
of work needs to be done to attract
which were treated, and those
requiring prescription glasses and
eye drops, which were issued as
recommended. Those requiring
eye surgeries were immediately
referred to hospitals for that
purpose by the team of medical
experts, at the expense of the
foundation. Similarly, over 100
cases of herniorrhaphy,
hydroceletomy, and lipectomy,
which were observed to be
common among the people, were
handled and surgeries carried out
at the improvised operating rooms
put together by the team. The
sponsors of the treatment, who
By Umar Yusuf & Femi Bolaji
THE Court of Appeal sitting in
Yola, yesterday, overturned
•Kolmani oil field in Bauchi ...starting commercial production
investments to the place. We
know that at least a good road is
required to encourage
development in that area, which
is why I want to implore the
federal and state governments to,
as a matter of urgency, provide
roads and other necessary
infrastructure."
President Muhammadu
Buhari had admitted at the
historic ceremony that the
landlocked location would create
a huge capital requirement,
making the economics of the
project a challenging proposition,
"We are pleased with the current
discovery of over one billion
barrels of oil reserves and 500
billion cubic feet of gas within the
Kolmani area and the huge
potential for more deposits as we
intensify exploration efforts.
A new sight, a new hope for 2,100 physically-challenged people in Benue
support of the late
Patricia Nyion
Adzape, the mother
of the Chairman of
Benue Internal
Revenue Service,
Mrs. Mimi Adzape-
Orubibi, while she
was alive. The free
m e d i c a l
intervention
commenced on
November 18,
2022, at Jato-Aka
for the Turan
people, and on
November 19, it
was the turn of the
Ikyurav-ya people.
The list of
attendees showed
that the outreach
attracted over
2,000 eye cases,
Appeal court restores Dahiru, Bwacha
as APC candidates for Adamawa, Taraba
preferred anonymity,
acknowledged in a message to
Chief Adzape-Orubibi in whose
honour the intervention was put
together to mark her birthday,
the huge sponsorship they
enjoyed from the late Patricia
Nyion Adzape to be able to go to
school, adding that their support
to the foundation was to help keep
her many legacies alive by
sponsoring impactful outreaches
and empowerments for women
and youth the same way she did
while alive.
They equally commended Mrs.
Orubibi for taking after her late
mother by always assisting the
needy and downtrodden and for
establishing the foundation in
honour of her mother. "For us, this
is the only way we feel we can
honour the memory of a woman
who gave her all to ensure that
the children of the poor acquired
formal education. She lived an
influential life that enriched the
lives of many of us who are now
professionals in various fields, and
we will be eternally grateful to
her.
And we will continue to honour her
even after she is gone because her
legacies will live on. Aside from the
treatment for eye disorders, we are
also carrying out surgeries for
herniorrhaphy, hydroceletomy, and
lipectomy on 100 patients for free " he
said.
the judgement of the Federal High
Court, Yola, which had earlier
declared the candidature of
Senator Aishatu Binani of the APC
as null and void. The Court also
set aside the judgement of the
lower court, which disqualified
Senator Emmanuel Bwacha of
the APC to contest the 2023
governorship election in Taraba
state.
The three man panel, headed by
Justice Tani Yusuf Hassan, M.O
Bolaji, and James Abodego set
aside the judgement of the Yola
Federal High Court,which earlier
nullified the governorship
primary elections of the APC
declaring that the party has no
candidate for the forthcoming
elections. While passing its
judgement, the Appeal Court
ordered that the name of
Senator Aishatu Dahiru be
submitted to the Independent
National Electoral Commission,
INEC, as the substantive
candidate of the APC for the
2023 election in Adamawa
state.
The Appeal Court also ordered
that Senator Emmanuel
Bwacha of the APC in Taraba
whose candidature was quashed
by the Federal High Court
sitting in Yola be reinstated. The
Court directed INEC to include
the name of Senator Emmanuel
Bwacha in the governorship list
of Taraba State.
Meanwhile, there was
celebration on the streets of
Jalingo, Taraba State capital
and adjoining council areas
following the Court of Appeal
ruling that reinstated ex
Deputy Senate minority leader
and senator representing
Taraba South, Emmanuel
Bwacha, as governorship
candidate of the All Progressive
Congress, APC, in the 2023
general elections. Supporters of
the senator were seen in trucks
and with loudspeakers
celebrating across Jalingo
metropolis.
Remember that the APC
governorship primary election,
which Bwacha won, was
declared null and void by the
Federal High Court in Jalingo
in September. The suit was filed
by a fellow contender in the
governorship primaries, David
Kente.
Spokesman of the Bwacha
Campaign Council, Aaron
Artimas, while briefing
newsmen, said "the judgement
of the Appeal Court ruled that
the institutions authorized by
law to monitor and
authenticate the conduct of
primaries are the Independent
Electoral Commission, INEC
and the security agencies and
the respective organisations
have presented reports to the
effect that the primaries had
been successfully conducted.
"The Court determined that
the lower court was merely
engaging in academic exercise
by delving into irrelevant
issues. The Bwacha
Gubernatorial Campaign
Council, BOCC, heartily
welcomes this judgement not
only as the vindication of our
faith in the Nigerian judiciary
but also as a divine answer to
the prayers of millions of
Tarabans whose faith in God’s
positive intervention was not
diminished."
He also used the forum to
appeal to all those who had
contested the governorship ticket
with Bwacha during the
governorship primaries to rally
around him to ensure the APC
rescued Taraba from the hands of
the PDP.