As the clamour for the restructuring of Nigeria gathers momentum and with politicians factoring it into their campaign narratives, critical stakeholders across the country, especially the Niger Delta region have also added their voice to the agitation.

This time, a former caretaker committee chairman of Bonny Local Government Area, Cyril Hart, giving a refreshingly unique perspective, posits that those communities on which shoulders the burden of Nigeria’s economic sustenance rests should be accorded commensurate attention in terms of infrastructural development, social interventions, and political stakeholdership. 

In a speech he delivered at his installation as a Warisenibo (House Elder) in the Captain Hart Major House of Bonny Kingdom in Rivers State, Hart submits that Bonny Local Government Area, as host to Nigeria’s economic behemoths – Shell, NLNG, Mobil, etc – has in recent times boosted the nation’s coffers with more than twice her foreign reserve and more than quadrupled her 2018 budget of N9 Trillion.

He laments that despite this superlative economic contributions to the nation’s economy, the community was politically emasculated, economically disenfranchised, and socially orphaned, a situation that leaves much to be desired. 

“Sometime in August 2018, the Managing Director of NLNG, Mr. Tony Attah told the world at the National Assembly that the NLNG located in Bonny Kingdom has paid out about $100 billion to her stakeholders. And that the Federal Government has raked in well over $15 billion as revenue from NLNG in Bonny.”

“Permit me Se-Alabo, to explain what $100 billion represents. The foreign reserve of Nigeria just now is about $45 billion. It means the gas activities in Bonny Kingdom have contributed more than twice the foreign reserve of Nigeria. Again $100 billion dollars is about N35 trillion. And the 2018 National Budget is about N9 trillion. Again it means, the gas activities in Bonny Kingdom have contributed four times the Nigerian budget.”

“Sadly, and very sadly indeed, this kingdom whose land is exploited, environmentally degraded and her people’s health endangered has not received commensurate attention from governments at all levels. This pitiable situation is no longer acceptable. We cannot continue to inhale flared gas for the rest of Nigeria to share revenue.”

The former CTC Chairman, Cyril Hart, during his three month stint revolutionized governance by strategic interventions in diverse areas. Against the backdrop of paucity of funds for interim administrations at the local government, he rehabilitated most roads across the town, overhauled the refuse disposal system by acquiring new waste disposal bins, and also acquired a 35 room hostel for students of Bonny origin at Alakahia to ease their accommodation challenges.

He also strategically engaged various stakeholders including security agencies, women and youth groups, and pressure groups, amongst others to address salient challenges in the area militating against social harmony and peaceful co-existence, especially the horrendous activities of sea pirates on the Bonny – Port Harcourt sea route. 

He maintained that “I believe in federalism, and it shall happen someday, but before that happens, governments at all levels must show substantial commitment to the development of Bonny Kingdom, the kingdom that lays the golden egg. Enough of the rape of this kingdom by governments at all levels”.

Bonny Island, headquarter of Bonny LGA not only hosts Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) plant, Shell’s Bonny crude oil terminal, and Mobil’s Bonny river terminal but is also the gateway into the country’s south-eastern economic hub. The Bonny River is the route taking incoming ships to the federal ocean terminal, Onne, and the Port Harcourt harbour, among others.

Statistics indicate that oil and gas and other activities on the island community accounts for over 4 per cent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product. It also shows that over 70 per cent of cooking gas in Nigeria comes from Bonny. About 50 per cent of its communities are riddled with oil and gas pipelines which degrades her environment beside the flared gas which health experts say remain a major source of health challenges through inhalation across the island. And yet, the community remains outrageously marginalized.

There is currently no federal presence there. Even the Federal Polytechnic of Oil and Gas, Bonny which appears more a reluctant project of the Federal Government has remained moribund. Close to a year after its governing council was reconstituted, academic activities were yet to commence.

Even Nigeria’s Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu observed the abject state of infrastructure when he visited the island to inspect the NLNG plant ahead of the about-to-commence train 7 plus project. He told the Bonny Chiefs Council at the Perekule Palace in Bonny that he, alongside heads of the international oil corporations (IOCs), were already contemplating a development model for the community to be factored into the corporate social responsibility context of the train 7 plus project. 

In the thinking of the ex-LG boss, the erroneous notion of politics being a game of numbers needs to be discarded as according to him, “that is not correct”. He notes that “democracy is a game of numbers but not politics. Politics is about governance, and governance is only possible when credibility, competence and capacity is at work”.

“And we have Bonny sons and daughters who possess these qualifications. We must correct that erroneous narrative, whose proponents are mainly those who have the advantage of population. They play the card of politics of population to show dominance and relevance in the political equation. I think we should also remind them that no unit can do it alone, their population notwithstanding. It is also on record that Sir Dr Peter Odili, a former governor of Rivers State, was nominated and elected governor of Rivers State not because he comes from a populous local government area, but because the whole decided to support a unit”.

The entrepreneur turned politician, therefore, called for stakeholder support for Bonny LGA to represent Rivers West senatorial district in the Senate. In his words, “As we prepare for another round of elections in 2019, I think it is time for the whole to support Bonny for the Rivers-West senatorial seat, regardless of party”.

On the home front, the former CTC Chairman called for articulation of a roadmap for development, investment, social renaissance, and politics, amongst others for the ancient kingdom, which etched its name in the annals of international trade and foreign relations way back in the 18th century, which son, Chief Dappa Biriye was a major player in the pre and post independence struggles for Nigeria. 

“And as we kick start intensive consultations in this respect, we must begin to tell our stories; the Bonny story of our economic importance in the growth and development of Nigeria. We must also show dominance and relevance by playing the politics of resources. And the facts are clear, and must be put out in public”.

“The only challenge we have, is that of time. Like the Chinese will say: “the best time to invest was 20 years ago..”. This means we are 20 years behind, and I dare say we are even more than 20 years behind. However, there’s no wrong time to begin a good course. And given our circumstances and challenges, we need bright minds, deep thinkers with the speed of a cheetah to catch up with the rest of the world. And the time starts now,” he said.