Nigeria’ll stand firm or falter in accordance with what we do in oil & gas sector – Edeoga Remarks by Hon. Chijioke Edeoga, Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, as the chairman of the public session of the 4th triennial branch delegates conference of MOBIL Producing Nigeria branch of PENGASSAN in Abuja I thank the leadership and members of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (MOBIL producing Nigeria Branch) for inviting me to the delegates’ conference and for the honor of an appointment as Chairman of the public session. The invitation really surprised me and then thrilled me. Surprise, because my involvement with the all-important oil & gas sector has been marginal. I was thrilled because I know that the people who work in Mobil, to put it in a local parlance, are not “anyhow people.” They are among the best – the best and the brightest – in your different schools and in your different departments, the years of graduation notwithstanding. Who in Nigeria does not know that Mobil recruits mainly stars, treat them very well in order to retain their interests and services. I congratulate you all. A group like your own can explain complacency away, or rationalise self-absorption or indulge in other pursuits of pleasure and hedonism, but you choose a noble part; you do care about the state of affairs in Nigeria. That’s why the Abuja meeting is not only about an awards night, as important as that is, but also ample time is equally allotted to a discourse on nation building, the challenges and the prospects. The prospects of nation-building will become evident when the challenges are fully addressed. Nation-building, as we all know, has many definitions. “Nation-building refers to the process of constructing or structuring a national identity using the powers of the state.” A second definition says that nation-building is “the use of armed forces in the aftermath of a conflict to underpin an enduring transition to democracy.” The two definitions differ from a third, which says that nation-building is the province of people within a nation. For present purposes, the third definition is the one I adopt. It fits our purpose well, for it means that the work of nation-building is for all of us; me and you contributing our best efforts, positively with clear focus, intent and purpose, wherever we are, whatever good things we are doing, or we are called to do, all the time bearing in mind our country’s best interests. Nation builders therefore, are those members of a country who take the initiative to develop the national community. In your case, the national community is your place of work, Mobil Producing Nigeria branch. The challenge is, what can I do, what must I do, at all times to contribute my quota to the nation-building efforts? The fact that you are a Nigerian, hugely indebted to the country, especially for the very good education you had but is employed by an international oil company whose interests, sometimes may be adverse to Nigeria’s interests, place you, sometimes, in challenging situations. For instance, Exxon-Mobil, the parent company of Mobil Nigeria, has 37 or more oil refineries in 21 countries. Why is Exxon-Mobil not refining in Nigeria? In the countries where Exxon-Mobil own refineries are the refineries also owned by the states? Are refineries run and maintained with public funds? The answers to posers should be instructive. Why then is PENGASSAN, not lending a vigorous supporting voice to government of Nigeria’s plan to privatise refineries in Nigeria, even when the advantages of so doing are numerous and are obvious? How can we build the nation in that regard when all the values added of local refining are lost? What each person here and everybody else actively engaged in the oil and gas sector can do to further the objectives of nation-building is very well known to you. I dare suggest that it includes but is not limited to the following: Adhering to the letters and to the spirit of Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act 2010. Setting a realistic time table for the termination of gas-flaring, terminating all sorts of connivance that frustrates the quota on recruitment of expatriates. With regards to the environment, precaution and prevention must be the watchword and where there is spillage or damage, clean up and remediation and compensation must be immediate and commensurate and compatible with what obtains elsewhere, especially in the western countries and in Europe. The efforts by some international oil companies to deny the fact of global warming and its dire implications must be resisted. The casualisation of Nigerian workers must be addressed and gradually eliminated. The Human Rights (Social and Economic) of all Nigerians, especially the oil producing parts, must be refined at all times. Record keeping of petroleum export must be transparent and correct. In the compilation of all rents and royalties and taxes Nigeria should not be cheated. Oil theft (crude and refined) in all its aspects should stop. Etc. If at all times all those and more, which you know more than I do, are borne in mind and applied, then it can be said that nation-building is on course. Nation-building, as you know, is an evolutionary process. It takes time, perseverance and focus. Everybody doing his best in his own corner, bit by bit, block after block and the nation like a house is built. The oil & gas industry is an indispensable component in the infrastructure of nation-building in Nigeria, for a simple and obvious reason: Oil has been and remains the mainstay of Nigerian economy. The oil & gas industry is the neck that holds the head. It is the pivot on which Nigeria for now stands. If we overcome the challenges, the prospects are obvious: a happier people, a stronger more prosperous country that guarantees the security, happiness and overall well being of her citizens. In other words, Nigeria will stand firm or falter in accordance with what you do in the oil & gas sector. May God guide you all, all the time to do what is right for Nigeria. God bless you all. God bless Nigeria.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 07:42:03 +0000
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