The temporary suspension of Twitter is not just a response to the removal of the President’s post. There has been a litany of problems with the social media platform in Nigeria, where misinformation and fake news spread through it have had real world violent consequences. All the while, the company has escaped accountability.

Nevertheless, the removal of President Buhari’s tweet was disappointing. The censoring seemed based on a misunderstanding of the challenges Nigeria faces today.

The President in his address at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA in 2019 said “the world was shocked and startled by the massacre in New Zealand by a lone gunman taking the lives of 50 worshippers.”

This and similar crimes which have been fueled by social media networks risk seeping into the fabric of an emerging digital culture.

Major tech companies must be alive to their responsibilities. They cannot be allowed to continue to facilitate the spread of religious, racist, xenophobic and false messages capable of inciting whole communities against each other, leading to loss of many lives. This could tear some countries apart.

President Buhari has therefore been warning against social media’s disruptive and divisive influences and the government’s action is not a knee-jerk reaction to Twitter’s preposterous deletion of his tweet which should have been read in full.

The tweet was not a threat, but a statement of fact.

A terrorist organisation (IPOB) poses a significant threat to the safety and security of Nigerian citizens.

When the President said that they will be treated “in a language they understand,” he merely reiterated that their force shall be met with force. It is a basic principle of security services response world over.

This is not promotion of hate, but a pledge to uphold citizens’ right to freedom from harm. The government cannot be expected to capitulate to terrorists.

IPOB is proscribed under Nigerian law. Its members murder innocent Nigerians. They kill policemen and set government property on fire. Now, they have amassed a substantial stockpile of weapons and bombs across the country.

Twitter does not seem to appreciate the national trauma of our country’s civil war. This government shall not allow a recurrence of that tragedy.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

June 5, 2021

Mother nature has a way of depositing its vast treasures wherever it pleases. In the wonderful world of hydrocarbons, these resources are either placed onshore (on land) or offshore (in water). Beneath the hidden depths of the world’s seas, ranging from a few hundreds to several thousands of feet (called deepwater), therein lies vast fortunes of oil and natural gas resources. These resources have the capacity to boost world economic growth and play a vital role in the future of the rapidly changing global energy mix.

It is on record that Nigeria is fortunate to have its own fair share of the world’s deepwater endowments.  Data shows that the country produces almost 10 per cent of the global deepwater oil in recent times. Moreso, the deepwater terrain has become extremely significant in Nigeria’s energy space, representing almost half of the nation’s oil production and holding about 35 per cent of the country’s oil reserves.

As an evidence of the significance of this hugely prolific terrain, six out of the eight international oil companies, which control about 75 per cent of the world’s deepwater space, all have some presence in Nigeria’s deepwater. Suffice to say that deepwater has become a critical hydrocarbon landscape which the nation cannot afford to lose or manage with kid’s gloves.

As critical as Nigeria’s deepwater terrain is, it happens that this high-volume environment has been plagued by protracted dispute between the International Oil Companies (IOCs) contractors and the host nation, Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). The disputes have, over the years, been rooted in entrenched differences in the interpretation of the provisions of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) and its associated laws.

Since commencement of production in 2005, these disagreements have festered and led to arbitration. The differences in opinion have inflicted a heavy strain on investor trust and confidence, stunting growth and creating the possibility of huge contingent liability on the nation. Essentially, these disputes have proven to be a major clog in the wheel of progress for all parties concerned.

As at 2016, contingent liability due to arbitration claims against Nigeria ran into billions, with high uncertainty for sustainable futures for the investors. In 2017, therefore, NNPC revised its engagement strategy and adopted a commercial solution as an alternative to the protracted legal dispute. The revised strategy was premised on the principle of trading the disputed bitter past for a brighter collaborative future for both parties.

The strategy deployed to resolve the conflict in the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118 Bonga PSC is expected to serve as a benchmark for resolving the remaining PSC deepwater disputes. The Bonga PSC was thus the gateway to the resolution of the industry-wide disputes that have hamstrung the potential in the deepwater terrain over the years.

But why are NNPC and the IOCs using the OML 118 dispute resolution template as a reference and benchmark for resolving other disputes? The answer is not far-fetched. It is because of its significance in many ways. Along with the straddled fields, the OML 118 is home to five major players in the deepwater space, not only in Nigeria but also globally. It is also the first major deepwater development in Nigeria’s Niger Delta, 75 kilometres from the shore containing the Bonga fields, at water depths of over 1,000 metres.

The field is arguably one of the most prolific deepwater assets in Nigeria, boasting of almost two billion barrels of crude oil and up to 1 Trillion Cubic Feet (TCF) of gas. It also has a modest cost of operations and has delivered appreciable value for the investors with a sizeable take for the country. The field also supplies gas to the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), another strategic asset to the NNPC and its  partners.

So, after two years of negotiating the strategy and seeking alignment on some of the PSC terms, in February 2019 NNPC signed the Heads of Terms (HoT) with the OML 118 PSC contractors (PSC) partners –  Shell   Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo), Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited  (TEPNG), Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited (EEPNL) and Nigerian Agip Exploration (NAE).

The truce heralded the progress which formed the basis and solidified the commercial framework for parties to settle, create the pathway for a sustainable brighter future and serve as a reference point for resolving longstanding dispute. The HoT was designed to translate into fully termed agreements, including the Dispute Resolution Agreement and a new PSC Agreement for the OML 118 Contract Area.

In what could be considered as a major move in the resolution journey, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, went a notch higher than the HoT. Shortly after coming on board in July 2019, he rolled out his strategic goals for the petroleum upstream sector, one of which was unlocking the deep offshore potential to grow the nation’s reserves. Close observers of the NNPC and the oil industry know that with Mele Kyari, such things don’t just occur by happenstance because when he marshalled out his plans for the upstream upon assuming office, everyone knew the end of the OML 118 disagreement was almost in sight.

So today, here we are. Barely two months before Kyari clocks two years on the saddle, he has delivered on the promise of galvanising and bringing together NNPC’s contractor parties to agree to the much anticipated full term agreement, which finally creates a certainty for the desired brighter future in the nation’s upstream sector. These five agreements signed by the parties are Dispute Settlement Agreement, Settlement Agreement, Historical Gas Agreement, Escrow Agreement and Renewed PSC Agreement.

The signing of these agreements recently is therefore a testimony to Kyari’s visionary leadership, which potentially will lead to many more success stories. These include, but are not limited to, paving way for the unlocking of over 1bn of oil in the bloc, up to 1 TCF of gas, unprecedented partner alignment, foreign direct Investment inflow of almost $10 billion, contract lifecycle revenue of almost $50 billion that will create energy security and shared benefits for both the investor and nation.

In essence, this new agreement will also help to re-balance fiscal terms and address global competition in prioritisation of investments by key players. Without doubt, the signing of these agreements will create a new dawn of unprecedent progress in the oil and gas industry which will pave way for unlocking additional treasures of the deep for the benefit of all stakeholders. It is indeed a major milestone for Nigeria, the NNPC and its partners, their investors, and most importantly, the 200 million plus Nigerians.

In similar vein, what this major milestone means is that through Kyari’s ingenious effort and visionary leadership, a dispute that had stood in the way of progress and development for many years has been resolved in the best interest of all partners to arrive at a win-win situation. Today, everyone in the OML 118 PSC mix is happy that while other deepwater assets in the world are facing decline, Nigeria’s Bonga field is witnessing massive potentials for further development that could unlock billions of dollars of investment.

Going forward, this “watershed moment”, as described by almost all the parties involved in the PSC, will ensure that the three projects related to Bonga that are in development stages but haven’t yet been given the green light – Bonga South West, North Tranche 1 and Main Life Extension and Upgrade – will become a reality, sooner, rather than later.

It was Booker T. Washington, the legendary 19th Century African American intellectual, who once said: “You measure the size of the accomplishment by the obstacles you have to overcome to reach your goals.” As such, if you consider the attendant positives that will very soon accompany the huge accomplishment of the OML 118 dispute resolution, then it would be safe to say that Mallam Mele Kyari’s fantastic negotiation skills and leadership acumen will continue to be deeply impactful in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry for many years to come.

As the dust of the deepwater disputes continues to settle in Nigeria, it is instructive to know that the fortunes of Nigeria’s upstream sector – in particular the deepwater terrain – would never be the same again. Without doubt, industry watchers will be keen to see how the NNPC and its contractor will start reaping the rewards of this remarkable truce. While Nigerians patiently wait to witness the deepwater dollars streaming into the nation’s energy coffers, let us, at the same time, relax to see how the Mallam Kyari wisdom will rub off on the other outstanding PSC disputes.

Abutu, an energy analyst, writes from Benin.

By Obiaruko Christie Ndukwe

Dateline Delta State: Senator Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and supervising Minister of the Niger Delta Development Commission stormed the state in an unscheduled visit. The man popularly known as The Uncommon Transformer for his exceptional feat in the transformation of Akwa Ibom State from a relatively unknown state to a wonder of the world in a 21st Century Nigeria, within the eight years of his government had depicted a rare courage to walk into the Lion’s Den at the time most of the Government officials have scampered to safety in the face of the heightened insecurity in the country.

It was the sudden break of grave silence by Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo who goes by a sobriquet, Tompolo, where last week, he issued a 7-day ultimatum to Senator Godswill Akpabio, to constitute a substantive Board for the running of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

Tompolo is leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND and also the Chief Priest of the Egbesu Deity, according to Wikipedia. He was very much around the corridors of power under President Jonathan, after late President Umaru Yaradua granted Amnesty to all the Niger Delta militants and Agitators for Justice and Equality.

Though he was later declared wanted by a Court and that forced him back to his creek, he had jolted the public when he suddenly raised his voice against what his group considers the unconstitutional running of the affairs of the Commission by a Sole Administrator, where the Act establishing the NDDC clearly states otherwise.

Tompolo may have spoken but he obviously is not alone. He spoke in the voice of an Agitator, notwithstanding that he chose a familiar path of threats to the safety of oil workers as well as others but it was definitely the hands of other highly placed interested Nigerians who have continued with their agitation to steal the region’s allocations dry through the Management of the NDDC.

When the video of Akpabio’s visit hit the media space, it became a subject of controversy as some section of the reading public condemned his decision to parley with a man wanted for alleged infractions through phony contracts as well as threats to the oil sector. Others booed and clapped as they watched the humiliating speech by the President of Isoko Youths Assembly, Comrade Amos, who exhibited nothing but a flagrant disrespect for the visiting Minister and his Chief Host,  Governor Okowa of Delta State, who was represented by his Deputy. This was in the presence of the highly revered Traditional Rulers who probably may have lost control over the recalcitrant youths or are in active connivance with them, for obvious reasons of fear or interest.

While the rest of the audience continued as cheerleaders to the not too palatable speeches in support of Tompolo’s threat and ultimatum, the man who represented the Federal Government, Senator Akpabio maintained his mien, reserving his displeasure and exhibiting an uncommon deportment.

The former Governor who has been under sponsored attacks since his appointment as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, under whose control the juicy Commission had since come under, would have chosen to either raise his voice in anger or worse still staged a walk-out in the mannerism akin to most influential public officers, but he listened with rapt attention as Tompolo’s representatives hit the gavel, insisting that the 7-day ultimatum stands.

It is rather bemusing to read a section of the youths and leaders not represented nor in attendance at the stakeholders meeting urge Akpabio to go back to Abuja and constitute the Board without recourse to the President’s directives that the Forensic Audit must be completed before a duly appointed Management Board would be inaugurated. It is an effort in futility for President Buhari to seek to salvage the people of the region from the shackles of deliberate underdevelopment by a cabal that have undermined the region through a continuous filtering of the resources allocated for the oil rich region.

The people seem not to be concerned anymore about the quest to ascertain why the region does not evidence the monies that have been sunk in there through a Commission that has run aground for 20 years. Not even a befitting Corporate Headquarters could be completed 14 years after until the emergence of Senator Akpabio as supervising Minister.

While many condemn his August visit to the creeks of the Delta, in consultation with the stakeholders, probably to explain that by the end of July, the Forensic Audit would have been concluded and the report made available for implementation by the President, it is expedient to commend Akpabio’s bold steps to the hotspot at a time there is an increased security concerns in the Eastern part of the country. Where he to have remained docile and stayed aloof, Nigerians would have again gone for his jugular, if there was an outright breakdown of law and order. The number of gunboats and security men at the venue of the meeting would have been immaterial, if the killing of security men in the East is anything to go by.

This uncommon courage to navigate through the troubled waters of the Niger Delta reflect a no-snobbery mentality nor an ego-polishing leader who has seen it all in terms of power, affluence and fame. Rather it shows a great but scarce attribute known as humility which is rarely seen amongst the high and mighty in Government.

Relative to other government officials, Akpabio may not have gloried in victory over the ultimatum given by Tompolo and his associates, but he definitely has accomplished a noble task, treading where others feared. Only a man who is at home with his people, can dare to take the battle to the snake-infested creeks, win or lose.

The timely decision to try to nip in the bud another wave of insecurity in the fragile Niger Delta is a decision not to run away from his fears but have the courage to confront that could blossom into a full-scale war.

This is the untold truth of the uncommon walk into a waiting bomb. 

Ndukwe is a socio-political commentator, analyst and columnist based in Port Harcourt, Nigeria