Ending Youth Restiveness in Bayelsa

By

Maxwell James

maxodaudu@yahoo.com

 

The creation of Bayelsa state ‘the glory of all lands’ on October 1 1996 by the military junta of the dreaded dark goggled General, Sani Abacha was received with great joy across all the Ijaw people of Ondo, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Edo states where they persistently played the second fiddle. The event was seen in several quarters as an epic and historic event in the anal of Nigeria’s history. This was partly because despite the fact that the founders of modern Rivers State King Alfred Diete – Spiff and Chief Melford Okilo all hail from the present-day Bayelsa, there was nothing significant to show for that great feat as the area making the present-day Bayelsa was a typical rural setting. Rather, the developmental strides that were recorded by these men of history in the old Rivers state were all centred in Port Harcourt, the state capital. Another historic element to the state creation, pundits say, was its near monolithic status as a unique conglomeration of Ijaw ethnic group in one enclave. To crown it all, the strategic importance of the state in the federation is overwhelming as its account for about 40% of all oil and gas produced in the Nigerian federation.

 

The endless potentials of Bayelsa state cannot be overemphasised as apparent in the numerous opportunities that abound in the young state. These include; tourism and agricultural potentials, large deposit of solid minerals and oil and gas. For instance, I was wowed when I first sighted the breathtaking Okpoma and Akassa Beaches all in Brass local government as they provide a rare opportunity to relish the Atlantic Ocean’s syrupy and its charming view from an extraordinary perspective. The Port City of Twon Brass, also in Brass local government where large proportion of the oil export cargo and crude tonnage are being shipped daily with corresponding discoveries in other local government areas are good examples of the rich endowments of this state that has lately become a mix bag of paradox. 

 

Recently the discovery of over 400 million barrels of oil and an estimated half a trillion cubic feet of gas by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Gbarain in Yenagoa local government has been described as the one of the greatest of all findings by the multinational oil giant in recent times.

 

Agricultural potentials of the state are largely untapped as all efforts have been centred on oil exploration. For example the vast palm plantation in Elebele in Ogbia local government and the huge rice plantation in Peremabiri in Southern Ijaw local government have the capacity to mop up thousands of unemployed and restive youth from the creeks and streets if properly harnessed.

 

However, despite all these great wealth creating opportunities, the state has been mired in an acme of unmitigated and traumatic crises of absurd proportion. These ugly scenarios gave birth to hostage taking, pipeline vandalisation, closure of flow stations and a general sense of insecurity in the state and other part of the oil rich region with the snowballing consequences of enormous revenue loss, human and economic sacrifices. Bayelsa today is agonizingly a story of a rich but poor state. What an irony! There is no doubt that all these have become a boil on the state scrotum as well as other Niger Delta states.

 

But there is something to cheer about from Bayelsa which this piece seeks to advocate for other troubled – spots in the region – The creation of Ministry of Youth, Conflict Resolution and Employment Generation.

 

The tripod ministry has a clear cut mandate of addressing youth matters, conflict management/resolution and employment generation with matching directorates to be guided by seasoned professionals; Nengi J. James (youth development) Richard Ogugu (employment generation) and Philips O. Okolo (Conflict Resolution). Being the first of its kind in the region, the import of the ministry must be seen from its proper perspective as the most important bureau in the state that must be supported by well meaning Nigerians especially the oil companies. It also goes a long way to say the government of Bayelsa state has been in touch with media commentaries and newspaper editorials about the region contrary to critics’ conjectures. Despite the fact that cynics have received the moves as one of these usual government platitudes, the idea behind the ministry if properly harnessed by all stakeholders in the state will go a long way in addressing the combined problems of youth restiveness/conflict and unemployment and other sundry crimes which have bevelled the state in recent times.

 

The underpinnings of the three–in–one–ministry if carefully nurtured will give room for a coherent and penetrative cure-all to the problems of negative youth activities in the state considering the personality appointed to head the ministry. It is high time we promoted the central dogma of politic in our clime. It is said that politics is valuable only when it is geared towards guaranteeing social felicity to the citizenry.

 

The Bayelsa example is worthy of note because it refines the whole concept of modern youth activism as youth with ethical deficits may not be given a chance in governance. Integrity here seems a compulsory qualification perhaps that was the reason behind the appointment of an esteemed youth leader, Mr. Maxwell Oko as the pioneer head of the ministry. For those who know the youthful 32 year old commissioner, his name is synonymous with Ijaw Youth Council (IYC). As the central zone Chairman and Vice President to Alhaji Asari Dokubo, Mr. Oko amongst other leaders like the pioneer President of the youth pressure group Felix Tuodolor had a genuine dream.

 

They inspired their fellow youth with the legitimacy of their vision, they were purpose driven chaps; they were never an amorphous gang of hostage takers. The common good of the Ijaw nation inspired their greatest vision and drove their untainted resolve. They were true patriots. The present leadership of IYC can learn a lot from their successes and challenges as they managed the struggle as an entity without splinter groups. Mr Oko led his group in a more organised struggle that was devoid of factions and bickering as represented in today’s agitation. They asked à la Kennedy, what they could do for Ijawland, not what the oil rich region can do for them or how much they can extract from expatriate oil workers via hostage taking. The emphasis then was on what they can contribute; they knew then that when their troubled land was good, everybody including an Igalaman in Kogi state will benefit. And when it implodes into brazen criminality as the case today, the negative tendencies will configure itself into social dissonance that will culminate into economic loss to the nation and the local communities.

 

Having worked in the oil and gas sector as pioneer Special Adviser to the immediate past Minister of Energy Dr Edmund Dakoru, the onus now is on Mr Oko to bring his experience to bear especially as regards the challenges facing hundreds of qualified Bayelsans that have been ‘denied’ access to professional jobs in the oil and gas sector. Also the oil companies should tell the ministry the total number of Bayelsans under their pay roll. Having worked as an erudite consultant on youth development/employment generation to many companies and development agencies in the region, the honourable commissioner must jettison the glamour and allure of office and work tirelessly as he did during his tenure as Central Zone Chairman of IYC for the emancipation of the state that has continuously become popular albeit negatively.

 

While the oil companies seek meaningful partnership with genuine government policies and agencies aimed at addressing the lingering problems of the region for proper business environment, the Bayelsa model should be explored as various militant groups have publicly pledged to support one of their own in finding a lasting solution to the problems of the beleaguered region. The Yenagoa example has several lessons for other youth in the creeks to learn from – that beyond the veneer of activism lies great benefit for unadulterated and educated youth leaders. This can earn the Niger Delta youth an enviable place in the society what with the appointment of another young and dynamic IYC stalwart and former National President of the National Union of Bayelsa State Students (NUBSS) Mr Samuel Ogbuku as the Chief of Staff (COS) Government House Yenagoa.

 

In sum, the government of Bayelsa state has understood the prevailing circumstances of the region and made youth empowerment a cardinal state policy. This tendency carries enormous weight as global attention has been on the state as a hub of boisterous youths’ activities. Happy youth, happy Bayelsa, happy Niger Delta and prosperous Nigeria!  

      

Maxwell James

Kpansia – Yenagoa

Bayelsa State