“Nobody owns the oil”, attributed to Balarabe Musa, a former governor of Kaduna State in the era of Alhaji Shehu Shagari as President of this country and a House of Reps member from Jigawa State boasted in front of television cameras that the oil in the Niger Delta belongs to Jigawa State.
A very comic situation indeed. But from what Balarabe has said, it is clear that our Northern brothers are beginning to take themselves seriously on this line of thinking.
It is really ridiculous for them to behave as if the Niger Delta is a captured colony of the North. Or how do you view such a situation?.
It is important to note also that this kind of argument is put up by leaders of the North.
The other day, the President of our country implied in a statement that because they fought in the civil war to subdue the rebel Biafrans, they must equally own the resources of the South.
They forgot to tell the whole world that had the South-South ethnic groups not co-operated with the federal troops, there was no way the battle could have been won.
They forgot to tell the whole world that the mistake Odumegwu Ojukwu made was not carrying the South-South ethnic groups along in his plans.
They forgot to note that if David Ejoor had co-operated with Ojukwu, the outcome of the war would have been different in the Mid-West region.
They forgot to note that if the Biafrans had not forcefully captured South-South territories, they would have gotten their co-operation.
But no, they are all gloating, claiming that they fought the war for the South. How will the Hausa man get to Bonny land without the guide of the local indigenes?
That is our way, we do not give credit to those to whom it is due. Those making noise today forgot that Ken Saro Wiwa, who was brutally murdered by a Northern head of state, was at the thick of the civil war action, including the Ijaw hero Isaac Boro.
The almighty God has blessed us with diverse gifts: some are tall while others are short, some are strong while some are weak, some lands are very fertile while others are not so fertile and require extra efforts to make them fertile.
Some regions are cold while others have hot climate. Such are the gifts of God to each individual or group; it is left for you to tap into the gift or resources that the Lord has given you, to advance yourself or use it in any way that will benefit you. That is how it has been.
The discovery of oil did not start in Nigeria. In every other place that oil has been discovered, the owners of the land owned the resources and they are accorded such rights. If God did not make natural resources available to you, He endows you in other areas.
That is why Israel has done well in agriculture despite their desert lands. When the federation was three and later four regions, every region was in charge of its resources and that was how groundnut and other resources were used to develop Kano and other cities of the North.
The same way proceeds from cocoa and other resources of the West were used to develop Ibadan and other cities in the West, including the famous Cocoa House building.
The East used their palm oil proceeds and other resources including coal, to develop Enugu and other cities of the Eastern Region. No money was taken from one region to develop another.
Balarabe and his cohorts must not peddle the lie that other regions’ resources were used to develop the Niger Delta; that is a big lie. It is also left for the Niger Delta nations to use the money the way they deem fit and not for others to tell them how to do so.
A lot of us have travelled to Dubai and other Arab countries, and all you see working and doing menial jobs are foreigners.
The oil in the Niger Delta region belong to the communities, the people who own the land. Whatever is found naturally in your land is your property and no amount of propaganda, co-ercion or intimidation can change that.
Culled from an article by Sunny Ikhioya.
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