WHAT is your take on the recent attack on the oil facilities in Delta State by suspected militants?
Why should the militants attack the oil facilities in Niger Delta region again? Why should they destroy the asset of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after benefiting immensely from the amnesty programme? Federal government spent billions of Naira to take care of them for years now.

I am in full support of whatever measures the military is taking to safeguard the assets of the Federal Government.
Arms trickle in intermittently through the Escravos into the hands of these people. These people have acquired some sophisticated ammunition the Nigerian military don’t have. This is because they have been stealing crude oil over the years and have been using the proceeds to acquire arms and ammunition. So we can’t rule out the possibilities of them having a lot of ammunition through the back door.

The bottom line is that the government should try to repel and crush the militants. It does not matter under what colouration they are coming in. If Tompolo has been accused of corruption let him go to the court of law to clear himself. For him to be using militants to threaten the peace of the nation portends danger.

How will the attack affect the maritime sector?

It will not affect it. Which part of the country hasn’t got resources. I think we should call a bluff of these Niger Delta people. In the first republic, the West was producing cocoa and palm produce. We were very well self-sufficient. With the proceeds Obafemi Awolowo developed the Western region.

With the diversification of the economy we don’t need oil. And there is no part of the West that doesn’t have oil. I think it is high time that we face the reality. The whole country is very rich if each part of the country can properly explore its resources.

I support the diversification step by the government at the state and federal levels and we cannot get the results over night, it will take time. If we are going to start planting rubber, cocoa, cotton… All these things will take time because they are revenue-yielding crops. In the first republic we used to export hide and skin.

Do you know that it was from Nigeria that the people of Malaysians took palm fruits to their country. Today they are one of the greatest exporters of palm produce in the world.

But what happened to us? Everything died because of the advent of petroleum. We are now going back to the basics.
Maritime is a global sector. No nation can survive without maritime activities.

In America, Europe and Asia, maritime contributes meaningfully to the development of the country because it has to do with transport. Transportation is an integral part of national development and this does not depend on the commodities being exported alone.

What do we say of so many countries that developed their infrastructural facilities in maritime without taking cognizance of production of oil and gas. Look at the Nordic countries what is the volume of oil that they have? Look at some other countries in the Mediterranean region. How many of them have the large quantity of oil and gas Nigeria have? Oil and gas make people to be indolent and not to think of how to diversify the economy.

Don’t you think that the attack on oil facilities will affect the oil export?

The attack on oil facilities will only affect the government alone because it won’t allow them to export the quantity of oil being exported before, therefore the revenue will reduce.

I want the oil and gas sector to die completely. The revenue from oil and gas is being stolen by some groups of people to enrich themselves. We should try and develop the agriculture sector and the local industries. Things that can add value to the lives of the common people in the villages, towns and create enabling environment for entrepreneurship.

Provide electricity, pipe borne water, good education and health. You can see where countries like Malaysia, Indonesia are today. Do they have all the resources we have? And they are okay.

I am very happy that the present government has said that the 2016 budget will not base on oil. That is a clear indication that we are moving away from oil. In what way has oil and gas benefitted the common man on the street?

Won’t the attack affect gas supply to power plants?

It is going to affect the entire nation because the gas from which power is generated will be affected and majority of our communities will be in darkness. It is going to be for sometimes. It is the price we have to pay for liberation and redemption.

We don’t need too much emphasis on oil and gas for our development. With or without oil and gas Nigeria can survive. There is too much emphasis on the solar system now. Don’t forget the fact that the world is moving away from oil and gas now.

What is the way forward?

The way forward for the government is diversification and reducing over dependent on oil resources. America and Britain don’t joke with tax. Let the government pay serious attention to tax. By the time the Federal Government is able to diversify the economy you and I will be much better than what we are now. No part of the country will take anybody for granted.

Do you know a lot of graduates are now going into agriculture? A lot of our people are exporting eggs and frozen chicken to so many African countries. Gone are the days you just sit down and you continue to say oil and gas. The price of oil has gone down to $30 per barrel from $118 per barrel. I think we are learning our lessons.