18/10/2026
🌍🇳🇬 OLOIBIRI MUST NOT BE LEFT TO DIE! THE IJAW RIVERINE COMMUNITIES AND OTHER OIL-PRODUCING COMMUNITIES OF THE NIGER DELTA MUST NOT BE ABANDONED!
ONE NATION. ONE SHARED WEALTH. ONE FUTURE. WHY SHOULD THE COMMUNITIES THAT HELPED POWER NIGERIA'S ECONOMY STILL STRUGGLE FOR THE BASIC NECESSITIES OF LIFE?
Imagine a mother carrying her child on her back, trekking through muddy paths, gathering firewood to sell so that her family can eat. Imagine a father moulding blocks under the scorching sun, fishing in troubled waters, or paddling a canoe for hours to earn money to feed his children. Imagine young people growing up in oil-producing communities, surrounded by petroleum resources, yet struggling to access quality education, healthcare, reliable electricity, clean drinking water, good roads and decent employment.
Now imagine the same nation building modern cities, flyovers, universities, hospitals, airports, stadiums, commercial districts and impressive road networks in other parts of the country.
Then pause and ask yourself: WHAT WENT WRONG?
This is not a call to pull down Abuja. It is not a call to deny any Nigerian the benefits of development. It is a call to ask why development cannot reach the communities whose natural resources have contributed to the economic life of our nation.
It is a call for justice, fairness, accountability and a new development vision for Nigeria.
🛢️ OLOIBIRI: WHERE NIGERIA'S COMMERCIAL OIL STORY BEGAN
Oloibiri is an Ijaw community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. In January 1956, the first commercially viable oil discovery in Nigeria was made there. Nigeria's first oil exports followed in 1958. These milestones are documented in the historical records of the petroleum industry.
Oloibiri became a landmark in Nigeria's economic history. Its name became associated with the beginning of an industry that would transform government revenue, foreign exchange earnings, investment and the country's place in the global energy market.
But more than seven decades after that historic discovery, a painful development question remains.
What visible, lasting transformation has reached Oloibiri itself? What have generations of Ijaw people in Oloibiri and other riverine oil-producing communities received in return for living with the environmental, social and economic consequences of petroleum operations?
We must be honest about the differences between communities, because not every riverine settlement has the same conditions. Nevertheless, where people continue to lack essential infrastructure and economic opportunities, their circumstances demand urgent attention.
The people must not be remembered only when oil is needed. They must be remembered when budgets are prepared, infrastructure is planned, jobs are created and national prosperity is distributed.
🌊 THE NIGER DELTA IS NOT A BURDEN. IT IS ONE OF NIGERIA'S GREATEST ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES.
The Ijaw riverine communities and other riverine communities across Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Ondo and the wider Niger Delta possess enormous potential beyond crude oil.
They have waterways, coastal access, fisheries, maritime traditions, natural landscapes, human talent and strategic opportunities for shipping, logistics, tourism, agriculture, aquaculture, marine engineering and industrial development.
Yet in many riverine areas, water that should connect communities to prosperity can become a barrier to education, healthcare, markets and emergency services when safe, affordable transport is unavailable.
A community surrounded by waterways should not be condemned to isolation.
A river should be a highway of opportunity. A coastline should be a gateway to international commerce. A fishing community should have the infrastructure to process, preserve, package and export its products. A young person born beside the sea should be able to become a marine engineer, shipbuilder, captain, naval architect, port manager, fisheries scientist or maritime entrepreneur.
WHY SHOULD OUR WATERWAYS CARRY THE WEALTH OF THE NATION WITHOUT CARRYING ENOUGH OPPORTUNITY BACK TO THE PEOPLE?
🇳🇬 DEVELOP THE RIVERINE COMMUNITIES, AND THE WHOLE OF NIGERIA CAN BENEFIT.
This is the economic argument that every Nigerian should understand.
The development of the riverine Niger Delta is not merely a regional demand. Properly planned, it can become a national economic strategy that creates opportunities in the North, East, West, South and every corner of Nigeria.
Consider what deliberate investment could achieve.
⚓ 1. DEEP SEAPORTS, INLAND PORTS AND MARITIME TRADE
Strategically located and commercially viable ports, supported by roads, rail, modern logistics and efficient customs services, could expand Nigeria's capacity to move goods, attract investment and compete in regional and international markets.
Ports create demand for truck drivers, railway workers, engineers, welders, freight forwarders, security personnel, customs agents, warehouse operators, accountants, software developers, ship chandlers, manufacturers and thousands of other professionals.
A young person from Kano could supply agricultural produce to an export terminal in the Niger Delta. A manufacturer in Aba could use efficient maritime logistics to reach international customers. A trader in Lagos could benefit from additional port capacity and stronger competition. A skilled worker from Kaduna, Enugu, Ibadan or Jos could find employment in a thriving maritime industrial cluster.
The benefits would not stop at the shoreline.
But ports must be supported by credible feasibility studies, cargo demand, environmental safeguards, reliable power, transparent procurement and sound commercial management. We should build infrastructure that works, not monuments that consume public money without delivering value.
✈️ 2. AIRPORTS, ROADS, BRIDGES AND RAILWAYS
Riverine communities need transport systems designed for their geography.
Some areas require all-season roads and bridges. Others need safe jetties, ferry terminals, water taxis, navigable waterways, reliable passenger boats and emergency transport. Strategically justified airports and airstrips could improve access to remote areas, support medical evacuations and serve business, tourism and offshore operations.
A properly connected riverine economy would link coastal settlements with inland towns, industrial centres, farms, markets and the rest of Nigeria.
Construction would create immediate jobs. Maintenance would sustain long-term employment. Better connectivity would reduce travel costs, improve access to schools and hospitals, support local businesses and encourage investment.
Rail links should be considered where their demand and costs justify them, integrating with ports, industrial zones and the national transport network.
We should not copy one infrastructure model everywhere. We should build the right infrastructure for each community and connect the entire system intelligently.
🏭 3. SHIPBUILDING, MARINE ENGINEERING AND TECHNICAL INDUSTRIES
Why should Nigeria import so much maritime expertise, equipment and technical capacity when we can deliberately develop our own skilled workforce and industrial base?
Establishing viable shipbuilding and ship-repair yards, marine engineering centres, boat manufacturing clusters, offshore equipment maintenance facilities and technical training institutions could create thousands of skilled jobs over time.
Nigeria could train welders, electricians, mechanics, naval architects, marine engineers, divers, surveyors and technicians to serve domestic industries and compete internationally.
The same workers could serve vessels, ports, offshore energy installations, fisheries, coastal transport and other maritime industries across Africa and beyond.
This is how the riverine Niger Delta could help Nigeria export skills and professional services, not just raw resources.
🎓 4. UNIVERSITIES, POLYTECHNICS, TECHNICAL COLLEGES AND COLLEGES OF EDUCATION
Imagine a network of specialised institutions offering marine engineering, petroleum technology, environmental science, fisheries, aquaculture, naval architecture, logistics, renewable energy, coastal engineering, information technology and industrial skills.
Imagine young people from Oloibiri, Ofunama, Ajakurama, Opuama, Abadegbene, Abere and other riverine communities attending well-equipped schools without facing unnecessary barriers created by distance, poor transport and the cost of reaching educational centres.
Imagine students from every Nigerian state coming to the Niger Delta to study marine technology, conduct research, acquire industrial skills and develop new businesses.
Universities and technical institutions can attract students, researchers, employers and investment. Their graduates can work across Nigeria and internationally, while their research helps solve problems in the communities around them.
Education must not remain a distant dream for the children of the people whose environment sustains an important national industry.
🏥 5. HOSPITALS, CLEAN WATER, ELECTRICITY AND DECENT HOUSING
No economic strategy is complete if people cannot enjoy the basic necessities of life.
Riverine communities need properly equipped primary healthcare centres, referral hospitals where justified, maternity services, emergency medical transport, reliable electricity, safe drinking water, sanitation, digital connectivity and resilient housing.
These are not luxuries. They are foundations of human dignity and productive economic life.
A healthy child is more likely to learn. A healthy worker is more likely to earn. A community with reliable electricity can preserve fish, process food, operate workshops and attract businesses.
Development should be measured not only by the number of billions approved, but also by the number of families whose lives have genuinely improved.
🐟 6. FISHERIES, AQUACULTURE, AGRICULTURE AND TOURISM
The Niger Delta can support far more than crude oil production.
With responsible environmental management, cold-chain facilities, fish processing, storage, packaging, research, access to finance and export infrastructure, fisheries and aquaculture can support stronger livelihoods.
Agricultural produce can be processed locally rather than sold cheaply in raw form. Tourism can create opportunities in hospitality, transport, cultural heritage, nature conservation and community-led experiences.
Local businesses can supply food, building materials, equipment, uniforms, software, transport and professional services to major projects.
The result can be a more diversified economy that continues to create value even as the global energy system changes.
💵 7. HOW THE RIVERINE ECONOMY COULD HELP EARN THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE NIGERIA NEEDS
Nigeria needs more productive industries, more exports and a broader base of foreign-exchange earnings.
A modern maritime economy could contribute through port services, shipping, ship repair, fisheries exports, processed agricultural goods, marine technology, tourism, professional services and skilled labour.
When Nigerian companies earn money by providing services to international customers, they can support employment, investment, tax revenue and economic activity throughout the country.
Ports can also reduce logistics bottlenecks and improve the competitiveness of businesses far inland.
The objective should not be to spend endlessly on the Niger Delta. It should be to invest wisely in infrastructure and institutions that generate measurable economic and social returns.
Every naira invested must be accountable. Every major project must have a purpose. Every community must have a fair opportunity to benefit.
🛡️ 8. DEVELOPMENT CAN HELP REDUCE INSECURITY
Where people lack education, reliable livelihoods, legitimate business opportunities and confidence in public institutions, frustration can deepen.
Well-designed development can help change those conditions by creating jobs, strengthening local businesses, improving transport safety, expanding education and giving young people credible alternatives to crime and violence.
Modern waterways, well-maintained jetties, reliable communications, emergency response services and lawful maritime security can improve safety for traders, fishermen, passengers and legitimate businesses.
No single development programme can eliminate insecurity. Security also requires effective policing, justice, intelligence, community trust, environmental protection and accountable governance.
But a nation should not expect lasting peace while ignoring the economic conditions that leave communities isolated and young people without meaningful opportunities.
Let the young people of the riverine Niger Delta become engineers, entrepreneurs, scientists, teachers, shipbuilders and exporters. Let their ambition become an asset to Nigeria rather than a source of national frustration.
💔 THE QUESTION TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT
To the President and the Federal Executive Council, the National Assembly, state governors, state assemblies, local governments, development commissions and all public institutions responsible for budgets and infrastructure:
Why should a nation capable of approving major projects in its cities not develop a comparable level of ambition for its resource-producing riverine communities?
Why should communities that have contributed to the national petroleum story still have to plead for basic infrastructure?
Why should a child in a remote oil-producing settlement face avoidable obstacles to education simply because of where that child was born?
Why should a patient struggle to reach medical care because safe and dependable transport is unavailable?
Why should a fisherman work hard to catch fish but lose much of its value because there is no adequate storage, processing, electricity or access to markets?
Why should a young person who wants to learn a technical skill be held back by poverty, distance and inadequate facilities?
These questions deserve more than speeches, ceremonial visits, political promises and project announcements.
They deserve budgets, published plans, transparent procurement, completed infrastructure, functioning institutions, measurable outcomes and public accountability.
Oloibiri and the wider riverine Niger Delta must become priorities in Nigeria's national development strategy.
🏛️ LET US TALK ABOUT THE MONEY: NO AMOUNT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED TOO LARGE BEFORE A SERIOUS PROJECT IS PROPERLY ASSESSED
Developing riverine communities will require substantial investment. Some projects may cost billions of naira, and major port, transport, industrial or educational developments may require financing on a much larger scale.
The question should not simply be, "How much will it cost?"
The questions should be:
What economic value will it create? How many jobs will it support? How many communities will it connect? How much trade will it facilitate? What social benefits will it deliver? What environmental damage must be repaired? Can the project maintain itself? Will the investment deliver more value than it consumes?
Let every state, the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal Government be guided by transparent national development priorities, constitutional responsibilities, equitable fiscal arrangements and sound economic appraisal.
If the nation can mobilise resources for infrastructure in other parts of Nigeria, it should also examine ambitious, well-designed and adequately financed programmes for the riverine oil-producing communities.
This is not an argument for abandoning other regions. The North needs development. The East needs development. The West needs development. The Middle Belt and every other part of Nigeria need development.
The answer to unequal development is not to deny development to one place. It is to expand development to places that have been left behind.
Where public resources are limited, projects can be prioritised and delivered in phases. Where projects are commercially viable, private capital and public-private partnerships can be considered with proper safeguards. Where communities need essential services but cannot finance them commercially, government must fulfil its public responsibilities.
No community should be written off simply because the cost of reaching it is high.
🌱 THE GOOSE THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGG MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO SUFFER
The expression "the goose that lays the golden egg" captures the central concern of this advocacy.
Oil-producing communities are not merely locations from which resources are extracted. They are homes. They are ancestral lands and waters. They are places where families raise children, preserve culture, pursue livelihoods and hope for a better future.
Their people deserve clean water, safe environments, schools, hospitals, roads, jobs and opportunities, not simply because petroleum has been discovered nearby, but because they are Nigerian citizens entitled to dignity, public services and fair treatment.
Environmental degradation can damage fishing grounds, farming, drinking-water sources and local livelihoods. Petroleum operators must prevent pollution, respond promptly to spills, remediate contaminated environments and meet their legal obligations.
Government regulators must enforce the law. Host-community development funds must operate transparently. Community representatives must be accountable. Development projects must be monitored from approval to completion.
Nigeria must protect the resources that support its economy while protecting the people and ecosystems that sustain them.
⚖️ THE LAW OF KAIMA: A WARNING FOR NATIONAL REFLECTION
The Kaiama Declaration of 11 December 1998 is an important historical expression of Ijaw concerns about resource control, political participation, environmental harm and the rights of Ijaw communities.
Some may interpret Nigeria's continuing economic difficulties through a moral or spiritual lens and ask whether the nation is experiencing the consequences of neglecting the communities that sustain its petroleum wealth.
That is a question for personal reflection, not a proven explanation of national economic performance.
What we can establish is that persistent underinvestment, environmental damage, poor infrastructure, weak accountability and unequal access to opportunity can undermine productivity, trust and social stability.
Whether one describes the problem as a failure of justice, a failure of economic planning or a failure of national responsibility, the practical answer is the same:
Nigeria must correct what can be corrected through fair policies, responsible investment, environmental restoration and accountable governance.
Let the Kaiama Declaration remind the country that development without the confidence and participation of affected communities cannot produce the strongest foundation for lasting peace.
🛢️ A DIRECT MESSAGE TO INTERNATIONAL AND INDIGENOUS OIL COMPANIES
To the executives, directors, shareholders and management of multinational and indigenous petroleum companies operating in the Niger Delta:
Please look beyond your production figures, annual reports, export earnings and corporate balance sheets.
Look at the communities around your operations.
Look at the roads your workers travel, the schools local children attend, the health facilities families depend on and the waterways that sustain fishermen and traders.
Ask yourselves whether the communities around your operational areas can see and experience the benefits of the economic activity taking place in their environment.
Where are your operational offices, technical training centres, supply-chain opportunities and meaningful community partnerships? How many qualified local people are being prepared for technical, professional and management positions? How accessible are your recruitment processes to people whose education has been constrained by poverty, poor transport and limited local facilities?
These questions are not a demand that companies abandon legitimate safety, competence or professional standards. Nor should every job automatically be restricted to indigenes.
The demand is for fair access, transparent recruitment, deliberate local capacity-building and meaningful opportunities for qualified people from host communities.
If a community's young people have been denied adequate educational opportunities, it is not enough to demand qualifications without supporting pathways through which they can acquire the necessary skills.
Companies can help through accredited apprenticeships, scholarships, technical training, internships, transparent supplier-development programmes, mentoring and recruitment pathways that prepare local people for skilled employment.
They must also respect applicable laws, environmental obligations, host-community development requirements and their responsibilities to affected people.
A corporate social responsibility programme should not be a substitute for pollution prevention or a shield against accountability. Nor should a company present ordinary legal obligations as extraordinary charity.
The presence of petroleum operations should create meaningful opportunities for local businesses and workers while respecting the rights of all Nigerians.
You may operate a successful business in the Niger Delta, but your success should not be measured only by what leaves the region. It should also be measured by the lasting value, skills, opportunities and environmental protection associated with your presence.
If you can operate profitably in the region, help build the conditions that allow the people around you to thrive.
🌍 WHY THIS IS A NATIONAL QUESTION, NOT AN IJAW QUESTION ALONE
This advocacy is not against the North. It is not against the East. It is not against the West. It is not against Abuja or any other Nigerian city.
It is an appeal to build a country in which prosperity in one region can create opportunities in every other region.
Imagine a northern farmer reaching export markets through efficient logistics. Imagine manufacturers in the East shipping their products more competitively. Imagine businesses in the West gaining access to new shipping routes and industrial supply chains. Imagine young Nigerians from every region training in marine engineering and finding employment in shipyards, ports, fisheries, coastal transport and offshore services.
Imagine riverine universities attracting students from across the federation. Imagine coastal tourism supporting hotels, transport companies, restaurants, cultural enterprises and local artisans. Imagine Nigerian firms supplying ships, maintaining maritime equipment and exporting technical services to other African countries.
Imagine safer waterways, better emergency services, stronger local economies and more legitimate employment opportunities.
That is the future we should be planning for.
Developing the riverine Niger Delta can be part of a national strategy for jobs, trade, skills, exports, food security, maritime competitiveness and economic diversification.
The wealth generated must be managed responsibly, and the benefits must reach people beyond the producing communities as well. National prosperity and local development should reinforce one another.
A stronger riverine Niger Delta can help build a stronger Nigeria. A stronger Nigeria must also protect and develop its riverine communities.
📢 WHAT MUST HAPPEN NOW?
We need a practical, publicly accountable national development programme for Oloibiri, Ijaw riverine communities and other underserved oil-producing riverine settlements across the Niger Delta.
That programme should include:
✅ A comprehensive needs assessment and a publicly accessible development plan for Oloibiri and other underserved producing communities.
✅ All-season transport suited to local geography, including roads and bridges where feasible, and safe jetties, ferry services and navigable waterways where appropriate.
✅ Reliable electricity, clean drinking water, sanitation, affordable digital connectivity and decent housing.
✅ Properly equipped schools, technical colleges, polytechnics, universities and vocational training centres aligned with regional economic opportunities.
✅ Healthcare facilities, maternity services, emergency transport and referral systems.
✅ Commercially viable seaports, river ports, shipbuilding and ship-repair yards, marine engineering hubs and industrial clusters where feasibility studies justify them.
✅ Support for fisheries, aquaculture, agriculture, food processing, tourism, local businesses and export development.
✅ Environmental assessment, pollution prevention, remediation and restoration of damaged ecosystems and livelihoods.
✅ Transparent implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act's host-community development framework, alongside effective regulatory oversight and public accountability.
✅ Fair recruitment, local skills development, apprenticeships and supplier opportunities for qualified people from host communities.
✅ Clear budgets, funding sources, project timelines, measurable targets, independent audits and public reporting of results.
The Federal Government should coordinate national priorities and provide the leadership, financing and oversight required within its responsibilities. State and local governments, development commissions, regulators, community institutions, private investors and petroleum operators must each fulfil their lawful roles.
The people themselves must also participate in planning, monitoring and maintaining projects. Public money must not disappear into abandoned contracts, inflated costs or projects that exist only on paper.
We do not need another generation of promises. We need a generation of completed, functioning and accountable development projects.
🙏 A FINAL APPEAL TO THE CONSCIENCE OF NIGERIA
To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, members of the National Assembly, governors, ministers, commissioners, local government leaders, traditional rulers, community leaders, petroleum industry executives, investors, professionals, civil society organisations and every Nigerian who believes in fairness:
Please look again at Oloibiri.
Remember its place in our petroleum history.
Then look at the Ijaw riverine communities and other oil-producing riverine settlements where families still face avoidable barriers to basic services and economic opportunity.
Ask what kind of country we want to leave for our children.
A country where resources can travel thousands of kilometres in value while the communities closest to their extraction struggle to obtain clean water?
A country where young people grow up believing that their birthplace determines the limits of their future?
Or a country where the discovery of natural resources becomes an opportunity to educate children, restore the environment, build infrastructure, create industries and improve lives?
Let us choose the second future.
Let no child in Oloibiri be made to feel that the place where Nigeria's commercial oil story began has no place in Nigeria's development story.
Let no Ijaw child or child from another riverine oil-producing community be denied opportunity because of geography.
Let no northern child be deprived of opportunity because the nation failed to unlock the productive potential of its southern waterways.
Let no eastern manufacturer, western trader, inland farmer or coastal entrepreneur be denied a better future because Nigeria failed to build the connections that could unite their talents and markets.
Let the nation's resources become a foundation for shared prosperity, not a reason for communities to feel forgotten.
We cannot change the past, but we can change the priorities, institutions and investments that shape the future.
OLOIBIRI MUST NOT BE LEFT BEHIND. THE IJAW RIVERINE COMMUNITIES MUST NOT BE ABANDONED. OTHER OIL-PRODUCING RIVERINE COMMUNITIES MUST NOT BE FORGOTTEN. AND NO PART OF NIGERIA MUST BE LEFT OUT OF THE JOURNEY TO PROSPERITY.
The real measure of a nation's wealth is not only the oil it extracts, the revenue it collects, the loans it obtains or the buildings it constructs.
It is also the lives it improves, the opportunities it creates, the environments it protects and the dignity it guarantees its people.
LET THE WEALTH THAT HELPED BUILD NIGERIA HELP BUILD THE COMMUNITIES THAT PRODUCED IT.
LET THE RIVERS BECOME HIGHWAYS OF OPPORTUNITY. LET THE COAST BECOME A GATEWAY TO GLOBAL TRADE. LET OUR YOUNG PEOPLE BECOME THE ENGINEERS, BUILDERS, ENTREPRENEURS AND PROFESSIONALS OF A NEW NIGERIA.
DEVELOP OLOIBIRI. DEVELOP THE IJAW RIVERINE COMMUNITIES. DEVELOP THE NIGER DELTA. UNLOCK NIGERIA'S MARITIME POTENTIAL. BUILD A NATION WHERE PROSPERITY REACHES EVERY CORNER.
🇳🇬 NIGERIA, LET US DO THE RIGHT THING. NOT TOMORROW. LET US BEGIN NOW.
📣 If you believe in equitable development, environmental justice, employment, education and a prosperous Nigeria, share this message. Let it reach the Presidency, the National Assembly, state governments, local governments, petroleum companies, investors, development institutions and every Nigerian who can help turn this vision into reality.
Courtesy: I. S. Abanara for Ijaw Language Academy.
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