RENEWED agitation by Northern governors for the review of the controversial onshore/offshore dichotomy has been blamed on the refusal of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to adhere strictly to the Supreme Court verdict on the matter.
Former Presidential Adviser, Alhaji Tanko Yakassi, said northern governors would not have resurrected the issue by calling for a review to give them more money, if the government had implemented the apex court ruling that oil-producing states should not be paid money for offshore oil.
The northern political leader and activist told Vanguard in an exclusive interview on Tuesday that Obasanjo should be asked to account for why he introduced politics into a purely legal matter.
Yakassi said, “the matter has never been laid to rest because what is being done about the issue is not what the Supreme Court ruled. The decision of the court was that no state should earn revenue from the continental shelf. The court stated clearly that no state has any claim to offshore oil.
“So, as far as the ruling of the Supreme Court is concerned, the onshore/offshore dichotomy is still subsisting. But running away from implementing the verdict of the apex court, the then President Obasanjo opted for what he called ‘political solution’ by setting up a committee headed by Chief Tony Anenih to find a solution to the complaints by the oil-producing states that they had been shortchanged by the judgment.
Tanko Yakassai
Supreme Court ruling on onshore/offshore
“Clearly, against the unambiguous verdict of the court, they are now paying huge sums of money to oil-bearing states not minding whether they are onshore or offshore-producing. That is just the reason why some people are arguing that the Supreme Court verdict should be obeyed.
“Clearly, against the unambiguous verdict of the court, they are now paying huge sums of money to oil-bearing states not minding whether they are onshore or offshore-producing. That is just the reason why some people are arguing that the Supreme Court verdict should be obeyed.
Campaigning for 2015
The elder statesman berated those who are campaigning for the 2015 Presidency, describing them as diversionary and enemies of the people.
The elder statesman berated those who are campaigning for the 2015 Presidency, describing them as diversionary and enemies of the people.
According to him, it was wrong for Nigerians to begin to put pressure on the political system by talking about the election instead of pressing the government at the federal and state levels to perform and deliver on their campaign promises to the people.
Power generation, agriculture: “To me, it is rather too early for any sane Nigerian to begin to talk about 2015 now. As far as I am concerned, any talk about 2015 now is a clear diversion of attention of the government. I want Nigerians to rather focus attention on this government-both federal and states, to deliver on the promises they made to the electorate last year. When the time comes, the Nigerian people will decide who should rule them and where the person should come from. But now, it is time for development, to provide employment for the citizens and to improve infrastructure.
“Why are we in a terrible hurry? Why don’t we concentrate on power generation, improvement of agriculture and so on? These are the areas that will change the fortunes of the average Nigerian for the better and not where somebody comes from and all that. Therefore, any discussion on 2015 Presidency for now is nothing but a great disservice to the nation and its people. We should desist from it,” he cautioned.
He also dismissed as untenable the impression that Boko Haram attacks have destroyed the economy of the North, claiming that only 18 out of the 774 Local Government Areas in the country were affected by the violence, which has not in anyway affected the region.
According to him, the violence that has erupted in the country affects all parts of Nigeria and not the North alone due to the fear by investor not to put down their money in a conflict area. He continued, “I have done an analysis of the local government areas affected by the violence and I have found out that only 18 LGAs out of the total of 774 LGAs in Nigeria. That does not constitute even one percent of 774 LGAs in Nigeria.
Insurgency hasn’t affected northern economy
Therefore, one cannot draw any conclusion that the crisis has affected the economy of any region in Nigeria. What is happening is that because of the violence, people who would have brought in their money to invest in Nigeria are afraid to do so.
Therefore, one cannot draw any conclusion that the crisis has affected the economy of any region in Nigeria. What is happening is that because of the violence, people who would have brought in their money to invest in Nigeria are afraid to do so.
“It does not affect a particular region but the whole of Nigeria. Therefore, it is the economy of Nigeria that is suffering from the crisis and not that of any particular region of the country. In any case, the economy of the north is based on agriculture and livestock, and people are farming and cattle rearers are rearing their cattle.
“Any objective assessor would agree that violence in the area is subsiding because there has been no reduction in the quantity of farm produce and livestock from the farming belts in the north to the areas of consumption in other parts of the country.
Whatever was being produced in the rural areas is still being produced and one can say that there is disruption of economic activities as a result of violence.
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