The Swamp Oil and Gas Producing Communities Association (SOGPCA) was inaugurated in August, 2014. In this interview with AHERHOKE OKIOMA, president of the group, Chief Victor Igbaba, speaks on some of the challenges facing the oil producing communities in the Niger Delta region. Excerpts
You have just inaugurated the local government coordinators of the Swamp Oil and Gas Producing Communities Association. What actually is the motive behind the formation of the body?
The inauguration of the local government areas coordinators in my own view apart from using the opportunity to sensitize the grassroots where most of the oil facilities are located, we also inform them the aims and objectives of the Association which is to protect pipelines, illegal bunkering and oil theft and thereafter swing into action.
And to answer your question correctly, among our members we have carefully appointed coordinators alongside clan heads and marine inspectors to facilitate our operations amicably. They have been briefed that some law enforcement agencies like the Joint Task Force, NCDSC, DPO and SSS were to be involved in the fight against pipeline vandalism in our communities.
What was your charge to your members during the inaugurations?
During the inaugurations all the LGAs we visited the youths, traditional rulers ,opinion leaders and law enforcement agencies were all present and I warned that this is not a political association , though members are free to vote according to their conscience .But they should not use their membership to intimidate, harass, rape women or ferment trouble rather they should respect constituted authorities as anyone that deviate from our aims and objectives would face the dare consequences of the law of the land.
I told them point blank that the association is not meant to show respect to traditional rulers, CDCs, youth leaders and women leaders, but work together for the development of the rural areas that have been neglected by governments and oil companies operating in their areas for decades.
Also to avoid infiltration by some disgruntled elements, we went further to restate that it was not a cult group and anyone we found to turn it into cultism will face appropriate authorities.
They were expected to protect oil wellheads and locations and work in collaboration with MNCS and government agencies which are funded by incomes from the oil crude.
They should appreciate the fact that some communities have oil installations that produce up to 99 percent of our revenue but they lack social amenities and lived in squalor and abject poverty. For instance only in Brass and Okoroma communities where there is light.
In Bayelsa state our hospitals are in deplorable state and when my wife delivered at Kolo Hospital I personally purchased all that my wife needed for safe delivery. Where are the free medical services? My appeal is to Bayelsa state and federal governments to provide medical services in the oil producing communities due to the environmental problems the oil production has impacted on their health.
What can you say was responsible especially the massive turn out during the Association’s endorsement of President Goodluck Jonathan for re-election?
First and foremost I give God the glory. He is the only one that directs the affairs of men as you can see right from when the association was inaugurated, youths without employments have been trooping in to register and the office has been opened till 6 pm from Monday to Friday.
I am sure you are from Niger Delta Region and the people have been grappling with a lot problems associated with exploration and exploitation of crude oil and they said since the era of bringing in foreign surveillance contractors was gone, they see the association as their last hope and decided to throw their weight behind it.
Some of them especially the royal fathers were not happy with the contractors who abandoned projects or do shoddy jobs which don’t last after collecting mobilization fees running into millions of Naira Though we are not out to fight anybody, but the fact remains that politicians are opportune to be in power and they should provide basic amenities which the people need.
Just look at Bayelsa state once it rained, the entire state capital, Yenagoa is flooded. What is responsible is that state government has not constructed roads that would address the floods by embarking on massive drainage system. Our slogan is ‘’swamp is our pride’’, why can’t our governments use the finances from the swampy areas judiciously to our satisfaction. The Federal and state governments must understand that the millions they receive every month is from crude oil which come from the swampy areas of Niger Delta Region.
Since you assumed office have you receive any threat from anybody on your fight against pipeline vandalism, oil theft and bunkering?
Before God and man nobody has threatened me on what swamp oil and gas producing communities association is doing. And I don’t envisage any threat from anybody. All that I have being receiving is advise, commendation and supports from stakeholders that were obsessed with neglect, connivance with contractors and failure to adhere to GMOUs.
They are all tired of the divide and rule of the oil companies operating in the communities which has continued to acerbate their woes and now that God has brought a body to work for them, they had no alternative but give their total to alleviate them.
Why were you recently arrested by the police?
I was in my office when some policemen pounced into my office and they alleged that my association was involved in fraudulent practices. I told them the Oil and Gas Producing Communities Association was duly registered by the CAC and was inaugurated by the Secretary to the State Government of Bayelsa state.
After showing them the certificate of registration by CAC and various publications in both Local and national newspapers they asked me to follow them to their office.
There they detained me after stripping me naked. I am a High Chief deputizing for the paramount ruler of Akipelai,the maternal community of President Goodluck Jonathan. They however did not torture me.
I was later released after being convinced that the Association was not defrauding anybody. Our members are fully in support of eradicating pipeline vandalism, oil bunkering and oil theft and are being supported by government. Iam using this medium to say that security agencies were conniving with oil bunkering in the Niger Delta creeks and wondered why oil could be lifted from Nembe to Brass without arrests.
This association is formed to engage the local people from these areas to tackle not only oil bunkering, but sea piracy since we are more familiar with the terrain and we are saying no external surveillance contracts.
Iam also using this forum to commend my members for their solidarity and maintaining law and order during my arrest and assured that we are not going to be intimated in our avowed determination to rid our state of oil bunkering, vandalism and oil theft.