Shell Still Shuns Western Delta
Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSB.LN) is unlikely to go back into Nigeria's troubled Western Delta this year despite the area contributing around 500,000 barrels a day to the company's crude oil production, a Shell executive said Tuesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of an energy security conference hosted by Cambridge Energy Resources Associates here, Ann Pickard, Shell's Africa Regional Executive
Vice President for Exploration and Production, told Dow Jones Newswires that escalating violence in the Delta has shut in production for 1.5 years so far, and production is unlikely to begin in 2007.
"We won't be back in this year," Pickard said on the sidelines of an energy conference in Istanbul. "We're still working with the government to re-enter the Western Delta," she said.
Ongoing kidnappings and attacks on oil workers in the Delta have forced Shell to cut spending there by $100 million over three years, Pickard said.
"We've been without production in the western part of the Delta for a year and a half now, so we're looking at ways to consolidate jobs," she said.
Last year 339,000 barrels a day of Shell's oil came from its operations in West Africa, most of which comes from Nigeria, Pickard said.
"That was pretty low for Nigeria," she said. "The official number of shut-in production is 477,000 barrels a day, plus additional shut-ins from periodic attacks on pipelines."
Shell's total oil output was 1.9 million barrels a day in 2006. But the country continues to be "very, very important" for Shell, Pickard added.
"We spent $1.8 billion in the region last year, so our $100 million cuts are not significant."
Shell is planning a new liquefied natural gas plant, OK LNG, expanding trains 7 and 8 of Nigeria LNG, and planning to increase production onshore and offshore, Pickard said.
VP Says Hire Youth
The Vice-president Dr. Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called on well meaning Nigerians and companies especially those operating in the Niger-Delta region to give employment to youths of the area in order to discourage them from going back to the creeks and engaging in pipeline vandalisation and hostage taking.
The vice president, who spoke while receiving the leadership of the Nigeria Economic Summit group in his office, said though government was determined to bring about changes to the situation in the volatile Niger-Delta region, the co-operation of other agencies in ensuring that the youths are gainfully engaged would go a long way in ameliorating the situation in the region.
"We are not too comfortable that a country like Nigeria cannot provide jobs for our youth and of course, when you do not have jobs, even those people who ordinarily would not have been criminals would take up criminal activities.
"We pray that by God's grace, we will resolve the Niger Delta matter. We also call on well-meaning Nigerians, especially in the private sector, to also help the youth of the Niger Delta because as many youth we pull out of the creeks, the better for us. We noticed sometimes that the opportunities are not given by companies that operate in the area and now it is now biting hard on the country," he observed.
He said what the country is suffering as a result of the problems in the Niger-Delta region today was as a result of several years of neglect of the region by the successive governments and promised that this government would strive to correct the ills of the past.
Speaking on the economy, the vice president said this administration was determined to make a difference by concentrating on the improvement of the economy of the nation.
"The economy is vital and we are quite happy with the composition and calibre of people that are driving the process. For a country to develop, the economy is first because you cannot even talk about building roads if you do not have the money to build the roads.
"You cannot talk about water if you do not have the money to provide the water. So, everything boils down to a well-planned economy for this country.
Speaking on the economic situation in the country, the vice president said, "One of the top most things on the agenda of the President is security. Security is like the economy because the economy cannot even grow without adequate security. So, there must be security of life and property."
Three-Year-Old Kidnapped (Guardian)
ANOTHER dimension has been introduced to the criminal act of hostage taking in Rivers State as a three-year-old son of a state lawmaker was abducted in Port Harcourt yesterday.
Sources told The Guardian that the child, Master St. Michael Steward, was seized from a private nursery school, at Elekahia Housing Estate, Port Harcourt, in the early hours of the day.
The kidnapped child is the son of a new member of the Rivers State House of Assembly, Mrs. Linda Steward, representing Okrika Local Council.
Eye-witnesses said that three young men in their mid 20's drove to the school in an ash coloured Mazda saloon car and proceeded to the child's class and took him away.
One of the kidnappers wore a white shirt and a blue jeans trousers, while the two others that accompanied him wore coverall suspected to have been used to conceal their weapons in case they encountered any resistance.
It was learnt that the three men who were not resisted by anyone did not shoot during the incident.
After the abduction of the child, the kidnappers drove off towards the Iwofe area, which has remained a major exit to the creeks for hostage-takers.
Attempts by The Guardian to reach the lawmaker proved abortive as her phone was switched off. Another lawmaker who spoke to The Guardian on the condition of anonymity, said Mrs. Steward acted that way because she was traumatised.
The Rivers State Police Command yesterday ordered a stop-and-search of all vehicles in Port Harcourt and its environs as it intensified investigation into the saga.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Felix Ogbaudu, who confirmed the abduction to The Guardian, said that the motive had not been ascertained.
He said: "For now, we don't know the motive. There are two possible areas that the police are exploring. One, there might be a political opponent of hers who is trying to embarrass the woman and secondly, we are looking at those who take care of the child."
Yesterday's incident was the second child abduction from a private school in Port Harcourt in the last two months. The first child has since been released to the parents.
Lagos Plagued By Bandits (Vanguard)
Residents of Lagos, Nigeria’s former federal capital and its environs now live in fear as the sprawling city has been under the siege of armed bandits in the last few weeks. These days, it is commonplace to hear tales of one robbery incident or the other in different parts of the city.
Indeed, there are indications that hoodlums in the city have not only become more sophisticated in their style of operation but more daring. For instance, many attacks by men of the underworld no longer take place late in the night or very early in the morning as was the case in the past. Instead, most of these raids now take place between 7 and 9 p.m.-thereby catching unsuspecting victims off-guard.
Samplers:
At about 7 p.m. penultimate Wednesday, a couple was robbed while they were trapped in a terrible traffic jam near Toyota Bus Stop, along the ever-busy Oshodi-Apapa Expressway. It was learnt that after the couple was dispossessed of their cash and other valuables, they were so rattled by the encounter with men- of- the- underworld at that time of the evening, that they abandoned their car along the express road and fled. The red-coloured car was still at the spot where it was abandoned when Vanguard Features (VF) arrived the spot at about 9 p.m.
A day earlier, there was mayhem on the section of the same road which runs through Mile Two Bus Stop- where the road is a fly-over. A gang of dare-devil robbers had descended on several motorists who were caught in another nerve breaking traffic jam at about 8 p.m.
The gang fired several volleys of shots into the air before they began robbing motorists in the traffic jam. An eyewitness who identified himself as John Odion told VF that the car that was in front of his was being robbed when himself and all other occupants of his car sneaked out and took to their heels.
Akin Idris a resident of Aboru area of Alagbado was not so lucky few weeks ago when hoodlums invaded the area and shot him in the abdomen. VF learnt that a large gang of robbers had invaded Idris’ neighbourhood one Thursday evening and had successfully raided several houses in the area. It was gathered that the robbers were already on their way out of the vicinity and were apparently looking for a get- away- car, when they ran into Idris who had just arrived at the front gate of his house.
When the robbers accosted Idris, they ordered him out of his car but he refused. Instead of complying with their instruction, Idris was said to have challenged the robbers and engaged them in an argument. This was said to have infuriated one of the gangsters who immediately shot him in the abdomen and fled from the area. It was the shrill screams of the injured man’s wife that alerted their frightened neighbours that somebody had been shot by the fleeing robbers.
Residents of the area who rushed to Idris’s rescue took him to several hospitals in the area but he was refused treatment for fear of incurring the wrath of the police which had some years ago issued a directive to medical institutions in the state to refrain from treating persons with bullet wounds without clearance from them.
It was also gathered that most victims of the bandits' raid on the area were residents of tenement houses popularly called face-me-I-face-you, who were mainly robbed of their cash and mobile phone handsets.
At nearby Opeilu, which is in the neighbouring Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, residents of the area have continued to thank God that men of the underworld who raided the area last week did not put a bullet through anybody. But nonetheless, some of them remain traumatised by the events of penultimate Sunday when a horde of hoodlums stormed the area at about 9 p.m. The gangsters had invaded a hotel in the area and robbed both guests and staff they met there. The robbers had caught their victims unaware. However, hoodlums operating in the area have not always had the last laugh. Some of them met their waterloo two Mondays ago.
On that day, police in the area arrested seven of them who had been terrorising residents of Abule-Egba and Alagbado.
The hoodlums were robbing their unsuspected victims at Kollington Bus Stop when policemen from Alakuko Police Station received a distress call around 5 p.m. revealing that some robbers were dispossessing passers-by of their valuables. The bandits were overpowered when a team of Anti-Robbery Policemen from the station swiftly raced to the scene and arrested seven members of the gang.
Some of the items recovered from the robbers included a mobile telephone handset, one cutlass and some cash.
Police spokes person in the state, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni (SP) who confirmed the incident in a press statement, stated that the arrested suspects had made useful statements and that the case was undergoing investigation.
A member of another gang of hoodlums who recently robbed some passengers in a commercial bus along Ikorodu Road was caught by the police while he was trying to escape.
The police arrested the gangster believed to be a member of a notorious catch-on-the air armed-robbery gang popularly called one chance, along Ikorodu Expressway while two others escaped. The armed bandits had boarded a commercial bus with registration number XB 271 DGB which was said to be heading to Ikorodu.
However, while the vehicle was in motion, the hoodlums had robbed the unsuspecting passengers of their personal effects ranging from assorted handsets, jewelries, wristwatches and cash including the N6,500.00 which the bus driver and his conductor made for the day. One of the victims reportedly put a distress call to policemen in the area who swiftly raced to the scene and intercepted the bandits. The robbers on sighting the police took to their heels but luck ran out on one of them who was identified as residing at Ketu as he was caught and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) Panti, Yaba. A locally made pistol was recovered from him.
At Apapa area of the metropolis, a gang of robbers which operate with motorcycles nearly succeeded with their nefarious operation three weeks ago when they attempted to rob a middle-aged man who had just withdrawn a huge sum of money from one of the banks in the area.
The man had withdrawn the money from a bank at Westminister Bus Stop -a section of Apapa/Oshodi Expressway- and was heading towards Mile Two when the armed bandits attacked him after which they ordered him to hand over all the money he had on him.
The victim was said to have obeyed the robbers but was reportedly shot by one of them after handing over all the money he had. But a team of policemen from Trinity Police Station attached to one of the new generation banks in the area, heard the gun shot, raced to the scene and engaged the bandits in a gun battle.
The ensuing gun fight which lasted for about 15 minutes ended when the robbers reportedly surrendered to the superior fire power of the police and were forced to escape, abandoning their unconscious victim and a bag containing the total sum of N639,600.00, one Nokia hand set and two identity cards one of which bore the name Adelani Wasiu. The victim was later rushed to an undisclosed hospital where medical personnel confirmed he was alive.
Freedom of Press Threatened in Abuja as Government Destroys TV/Radio StationsNigeria's leading independent broadcast network says it will take the government to court next week after authorities demolished three new station facilities in the capital, Abuja.
African Independent Television (AIT) plans to sue for damages after the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), a local government entity, last week bulldozed without warning three structures, including a digital studio, a technical operations office, and a common room for news anchors.
The FCT said the station contravened city planning rules and encroached on neighboring property when it built the structures over the past year, Issa Shuaid, FCT director for urban development, told CPJ. He also accused the station of using commercial premises for residential purposes.
The FCT charges regarding the land encroachment were announced for the first time on the day of the demolition, said Ladi Lawal, head of operations for Dar Communications, AIT's parent company. He denied the other charges, saying the station altered its building plans in July 2006 at the direction of authorities, who then inspected the site on several occasions.
AIT Chairman Raymond Dokpesi said he believes the demolition was politically motivated and was intended to intimidate the station because of its critical coverage during the recent elections in May. The station, for instance, aired a public forum during which members of Nigeria's assembly critically appraised former President Olusegun Obasanjo's tenure.
AIT, which broadcasts across Africa, has several other facilities in Lagos and Abuja.
"We are deeply disturbed by this arbitrary demolition," said Joel Simon, executive director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. "African Independent Television had no chance to defend itself against the charges brought by the authorities. Given the station's history of critical reporting, it is hard to escape the conclusion that there is more behind the razing of its new offices than a planning code violation."
AIT has been the target of frequent harassment in connection with its broadcasts. In April, intelligence agents raided its studios in Abuja after the station aired a paid political program that was critical of former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.cpj.orgAsari Owed Money, He Says (Daily Champion)
LEADER of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force (NDPVF), Alhaji Muhajeed Dokubo-Asari has warned that unless Federal Government pays N137 million owed him two years ago, militants in the region would not surrender their arms.
Speaking in Yenagoa, he declared that, he would not allow himself to be deceived this time around as the government was still indebted to him to the tune of N137million which was to be paid to him when militants in the Niger Delta surrendered their arms two years ago at different occasions.
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"Nobody will surrender arms this time unless it is paid for. The last time we were disappointed. These arms were bought with money," he declared
The Ijaw militant leader who disclosed this last Sunday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, however assured that militants in the region have resolved to sheathe their swords for the interest of peace and development in the area.
He charged state governments and oil companies operating in the region not to pay ransom to kidnappers, just as he condemned the recent attack in Yenagoa and Otuoke residence of Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
Describing the action as senseless and cowardly, he said "people should not use the name of the struggle to blackmail in order to make money. I condemn hostage taking, it is not part of the struggle. For 11 months we fought in the Nigerian nation, some of us died. We never took anyone hostage."
We are going to do everything to eradicate this evil that has crept into our struggle.
Asari regretted that former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha was the only person languishing in prison, among all the impeached governors in the previous administration.
He added that "the others are walking freely even when some committed more grievous crimes. "All those who were impeached and went to court had their cases tried and they returned to their government houses. Monies stolen in office were neither accounted for nor returned. What sort of selective justice is this," he queried.
While he said this must be addressed, he appealed to people of the Niger Delta and the Ijaw nation to give Vice President Goodluck Jonathan the chance to enable him succeed, especially as he is one of their own;.
According to him, "our enemies will exploit our refusal to give Jonathan the needed support. I will not like another Ijaw man to be betrayed."
The militant leader however called on Governor Timipre Sylva of Bayelsa State to ensure that massive industrialization was achieved in the state so as to create wealth for the people, and attract development to the predominantly riverine state.
Youth Leader Killed in Port Harcourt (Daily Champion)
Unknown gunmen in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital have assassinated a youth leader in Rumuolumeni in Obio/Akpor local government Area, Mr. Golden Isi.
The Killing of the youth leader which happened on Sunday night in the community left the villagers in a panic situation as most people are fleeing to neighbouring communities for safety of lives and property. The killer of the youth leader allegedly escaped arrest.
Speaking to Daily Champion on the incident, the chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC) of the area Mr. Innocent Nwani called on the security operatives in the state to check the activities of criminals in the community.
Mr. Nwani also appealed to the police to properly investigate the real killers of the youth chairman and bring them to book.
Contacted on the incident, the director of the state security services of the state (SSS), Alhaji Kolawale Adesina while confirming the incident appealed to the youth's in the area to remain calm promising that investigation into the matter would be carried out.
He assured the community and the public that peace would soon return to the area.
It will be recalls that, a prominent chief in Ikwere land was killed last week by unknown gunmen in Port Harcourt and no arrest was affected by the police in the state.
The killing of the Ikwere chief which forced women in the community to stage a peaceful protest to the governor Sir celestine Omehia at the government house to reduce the high level of killings, kidnapping and criminal activities in the state.
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