Fresh concerns have emerged over the control and ownership of oil resources in the Niger Delta as the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide accused political leaders in the region of failing to secure economic stakes for their people in the nation’s oil industry.
The council said the continued exclusion of host communities from oil governance structures reflects a troubling disconnect between resource ownership and actual beneficiaries, warning that the trend could worsen agitation across the region.
This position was strongly canvassed during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited in Port Harcourt, where participants from Rivers, Abia and Imo States converged to deliberate on pressing issues in the oil sector.
Secretary-General of the IYC, Maobuye Nangi-Obu, who spoke at the forum, challenged Niger Delta governors to move beyond rhetoric by establishing state-backed oil companies capable of bidding for oil blocs and marginal fields within their domains.
He stressed that such a move would mark a critical shift towards economic self-determination, rather than leaving the region’s vast oil wealth in the hands of external investors with limited ties to host communities.
Nangi-Obu expressed dismay over reports that about 25 marginal oil fields were being considered for allocation, alleging that many of these assets, despite being located in host communities, were being awarded to non-indigenes.
According to him, decisions affecting the economic future of the Niger Delta are still being taken far from the region, leaving those most impacted by oil exploration sidelined in the governance of their own resources.
He noted that marginal fields, often abandoned by major international oil companies due to perceived low profitability, have remained viable opportunities for indigenous participation, if properly harnessed.
The IYC scribe warned that the continued exclusion of locals from such opportunities not only deepens economic inequality but also sustains long-standing grievances tied to resource control in the Niger Delta.
Raising further alarm, Nangi-Obu highlighted the growing use of directional drilling, describing it as a subtle but dangerous practice that enables extraction of oil from host communities without their knowledge or consent.
He cautioned that such practices could further alienate local populations, especially when communities are unable to trace or verify the extent of oil exploitation occurring beneath their land.On environmental issues, the IYC leader condemned the persistent gas flaring across the region, accusing both multinational and indigenous oil firms of neglecting investments in critical gas processing infrastructure.
Despite the criticism, he acknowledged the efforts of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited in fostering dialogue with host communities, noting that such engagement represents a departure from the industry’s traditional culture of exclusion.
Traditional rulers present at the meeting also pointed to signs of improvement in their communities, linking recent environmental recovery and relative peace to increased corporate engagement.
The Eze Ekpeye-Logbo, King Kevin Anugwo, represented by Dr Patricia Ogbonnaya, observed that aquatic life once lost to pollution was gradually returning, while Chairman of the K-Dere Council of Chiefs, Chief Batom Mitee, maintained that sustained peace must be matched with visible socio-economic benefits for host communities.
