THE financial resources being used to
prospect for oil in the Northern part of the country is just so huge,
and the project should be suspended for now. While I am not saying that
it is not the North’s right for oil to be discovered in commercial
quantities in the region, the huge sum being expended on the project at
this period in time is just so staggering, especially at a time when we
are experiencing recession in the country.
Instead of prospecting for oil in the
North, which we know is a game of luck, why is the Federal Government
not developing the huge mineral resources, which can catapult the region
from its backwardness to economic prosperity?
Even if the oil is found, will it
benefit the ordinary citizens in the region? The answer to this question
can only be arrived at if we look at the situation in the Niger Delta.
We can, therefore, ask if the oil in the Niger Delta has benefited the
people, and the answer to this is ‘no.’ Only the political leaders in
the region have enjoyed what is supposed to be for the citizens.
Therefore, there is every possibility
that the same thing will happen if the North discovers oil. Now, I
understand that the North is the most mineral resource blessed region in
the country, with many resources located there.
In fact, it is being said by geologists
that the country can survive only on the resources in Nasarawa State
alone, not to talk of the whole Northern region. So why is the Federal
Government not focusing on this, instead of the renewed push for the
discovery of oil in the region?
What I hope the Federal Government will
do now is for it to focus on developing the North’s agriculture and its
mineral resources, which will definitely return the region on the part
of economic growth. This will also create sustainable jobs for the
region’s youths who have moved to other regions, begging for alms, while
some are engaged in security work and Okada riding business. All these
jobs are not sustainable, but a well developed agricultural programme,
and a booming mineral sector will create jobs for the youth.
I also want the government to focus on
reviving the ailing textile industry in the North, as this will help
create more jobs for the youth. Therefore, the government can divert the
money being used in prospecting for oil in the region to all these
projects, which, I know, will bring immediate benefits to the people.
I hope the Federal Government can order
the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which is handling the
search for oil in the region, to suspend the exercise, while the
budgeted funds for the project can be diverted to other purposes in the
region. Zainab Hassan, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
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