Chief Isaac Z. Abakam, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Azimarine has a professional certificate in diving IMCA compliance from North Sea diving training College United Kingdom. From 1975- 1976, he worked as a mechanical technician in Abestonite Limited (Oron) and later joined Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited as a professional Diver from 1977- 1981. He focuses on new diving technology, enhanced engineering Technology services and continual improvement in productivity which propelled him to form Azimarine And General Services Limited which carries out operations on marine, oil field maintenance and subsea services.
In this chat with The New Diplomat’s AKANIMORE KUFRE, Chief Abakam, a community leader in Ibeno community’s laments the tribulations of the oil-producing community under offshore and onshore gas flaring and the anger, disappointment and expectations of the community members on their living conditions.
What has been your experience as a community leader in Ibeno over the years?
You can bear me witness as an Akwa Ibomite how peaceful this area has been in terms of oil and gas business. The area is peaceful, very peaceful.
We notice gas being flared, what has been the impact on Ibeno community?
We have suffered a lot of effects from gas flaring. One, we no longer drink rain water, nor do we allow our children bathe under the rain like we use to do when we were kids. In other areas, kids run everywhere under rain water, but we don’t do that in Ibeno. We hardly use rain water for domestic purposes. When you see the water you can confirm it is acid rain. There is offshore (pointing in front) gas flaring and the trade wind drops the flaring here. And behind us is ExxonMobil Qua Iboe Terminal with gas flaring. We are in between flaring all the time, offshore and onshore. Even now, there is vibration within my house which might be related to gas flaring. We cannot even plant anything here because the soil is contaminated throughout.
Do you believe the soil contamination is caused by gas flaring only?
Yes. Our soil is not good for cultivation. It is contaminated as a result of gas flaring as well as oil spill. Today in Ibeno, we don’t have mangrove forest; everywhere is covered with weather palm. We don’t find mangrove forest around us anymore.
Are you aware of international and local dateline policies for gas flaring, and how have you been working with this information?
I am aware right from 80s when government would always publish, giving datelines of so and so date. Come so and so year, there will be no gas flaring in Nigeria. We have never seen it happen. You are personally aware that there have been so many dates. I don’t believe the Nigerian government really wants International Oil Companies, IOCs, to stop gas flaring.
Who makes the IOC’s aware of these impacts?
The community complains, government complains. That is why you see what is happening now. They are going to clean up Ogoniland because of oil pollution. All this is because of oil exploitation. But my belief is that government prefers IOCs paying penalties to them than actually stopping the gas flaring.
You have been in the community struggle for long. What do you suggest the community should do next to stop gas flaring?
I don’t think the community will do anything than to keep on shouting and crying. I don’t think it is proper for the community to go fighting the companies. They are not operating on their own; rather, they are operating on the guidelines of the state and federal government. It is not good for us to fight because it means we will kill ourselves. If those people in government are truthful enough, let them stop gas flaring. Or stop talking about it, allow it go and let the poor masses continue to die.
Are paramount rulers involved in this struggle?
Yes. Our paramount ruler has done that several times. Community leaders like us are deeply involved — including women, the youths and everybody. I believe you must have read on the pages of news papers that Ibeno people and the Niger Delta people affected by gas flaring are complaining every day. I mean this is one cause of militancy in the Niger Delta region.
You mention government readiness to collect penalties for gas flaring. Is your community directly benefiting from this penalty?
We have not seen one kobo! Maybe the federal government is happy with the gas flaring, else why will they be shifting deadlines?
Do you think they keep quiet for nothing?
Would you advise that the community share in these fines as a sort of compensation?
That should be the case. I don’t know what happens in other places, but in Ibeno here, the gas flaring affects the quality of houses. For instance, roofing materials. Roofing materials depreciate faster. Here, most long-span roofing sheets do not exceed three years. That is what we suffer here, the same with burglary proofs in your window and doors. In two years, you will need to change them due to corrosion as a result of gas flaring.
What will you say should be the benefit of having IOCs in Ibeno?
Business opportunities! Good employment percentage, I mean the local content. But the reverse is what you have. As an indigene of this community, you don’t have more business opportunities than others. Any other company comes from anywhere and does business you are supposed to handle. At best, they only call you to do a subcontract. Yes! How many Ibeno indigenes are employed by ExxonMobil? We have the office and name given as local content. But do they actually implement local content to the local level and to companies where oil exploration is carried out in their area? You don’t see it!
You are a widely travelled businessman. What is the situation in other countries with regard to the living standard of host communities?
ExxonMobil headquarters is in Texas. People there are given preferential treatment in terms of employment and every other thing. Let us not go too far, here in Nigeria, Chief Enosco, clan head of Unna L.G.A, happens to be the owner of the pioneer business maintenance office that services Shell. Today, he has no single business in Rivers State. He has closed down his business in Rivers because the indigenes will not allow Shell to give him anything to do. He is back home here, he had to sell the place. It is only in Akwa Ibom State here that local content won’t work. Even if you know what to do, you will be asked to leave it. They will do one thing or the other to frustrate you from doing it and then they will bring companies from Lagos, Kaduna, Rivers and others states to do jobs that Akwa Ibomites can do here in ExxonMobil field. So when they talk of local content, we start wondering “where?” It is only on the pages of newspapers.
There is an Akwa Ibomites in the person of former Governor Obong Victor Attah who is prominent in economic liberation of the Niger Delta, are there plans to liaise with him?
There were litigations against Ibeno during Attah’s administration on 13% oil revenue. If he has changed his mind now, let him come to Ibeno’s assistance. Like now, the catchment areas (Ibeno, Eket, Esit Eket, etc) do not have a functional MOU with ExxonMobil to operate with. Successive administrations have not looked into it. We believe with Udom Emmanuel, things may change.
What is currently going on with the relocation of ExxonMobil headquarters to Akwa Ibom?
It would have been very good. But the state government we are very close to does not believe we should benefit from oil exploration. That place where the headquarters is now doesn’t belong to Akwa Ibom, it doesn’t belong to anybody in Uyo.
Since Uyo is the political and administrative centre, should ExxonMobil headquarters be located elsewhere?
It should be located in Ibeno. That is where it ought to be
This same argument I learnt also contributed to the failure of the relocation in Attah’s administration, are you aware?
God is always at work to help the poor. I don’t know why Attah did not succeed in bringing the ExxonMobil headquarters here, but he was one of those fighting Ibeno. But my prayer is anytime God deems it fit to bring ExxonMobil headquarters to Akwa Ibom State, let it be Ibeno.
Will other parts of Akwa Ibom have access to the headquarters and job opportunities if the ExxonMobil Nigerian headquarters is relocated from Lagos to Ibeno?
You can see for yourself, I mean make a head count. How many Ibeno people are here and how many other Akwa Ibomites are there in the employ of ExxonMobil? We don’t barricade anybody from entrance to ExxonMobil QIT here for jobs or employment.
Currently Nigeria’s acting president, Professor Osinbajo, is on tour consulting Niger Delta communities. What will be your request when he visits Akwa Ibom?
My request will be to mandate ExxonMobil to give good positions to Ibeno people. As at today, we don’t have any of our own among ExxonMobil managers; none in managerial position. Let some Ibeno indigenes be allowed to reach managerial positions. If they want to appoint directors now, let them include Ibeno people. They should also look into this gas flaring. Also, improved business opportunities for Ibeno people who are suffering the negative effects of oil exploration directly. And also give Akwa Ibom State the monthly subvention due them as per the quantity of oil we produce. By so doing, the state government will have money for infrastructural project development.
Should this project include agriculture and food sustainability considering the poor soil quality in Ibeno caused by spillage and flaring?
How can we ignore that? If there is no food you will die. Something should be done; if we cannot cultivate here, let there be something at least ecological fund is there. Let them place us on some monthly allowances so we can get to nearby villages and buy food since we cannot grow here. Let us be properly compensated since we are suffering the effects of oil exploration, pollution, acid rain and even the air we breathe is all polluted. Government should also bring good health facilities here.
Would you ask that flared gas be converted for commercial us?
They have promised for many years now that they are going to construct gas turbines; that instead of flaring the gas they will direct the gas to propel the turbines and generate enough electricity. For instance, the light (power) supply you see here is from ExxonMobil. This area is called Mkpanak, Inuaiko, and Iwokpom. It is not only the three villages in Ibeno that are supposed to enjoy this free light but the entire Ibeno. By the time they come and build the type of turbine they have proposed for many years, the gas flared here could be used to turn the turbines and reduce the gas flaring or stop it completely.
At last there is a remedial project from ExxonMobil, Light. What other benefits are there for Ibeno people?
We have water from ExxonMobil but not all the time, the supply here is not enough. At times, two, three days no water supply. We had that water from ExxonMobil serving only the closest Mpkanak kingdom, not the entire Ibeno L.G.A.
Why don’t individuals sink boreholes as in places like Uyo?
If you try to sink borehole here you will see what will happen. Too high degree of pollution. Even if you bring water treatment plant here, that plant will collapse within weeks because you will not be able to drill to the level a corporate body like ExxonMobil does. And the kind of treatment measures they will put in place is not what even a community here can do!
How about health care facilities in Ibeno?
In those days, Mobil used to give us free medical treatment but they have stopped. Their reason is simply that the money they used to have is no longer coming. This was even before oil price crashed. Health care facilities used to have assistance from Mobil, but that was a long time ago.
How about training and scholarships?
There is nothing specially done for Ibeno people. If you check ExxonMobil scholarship scheme, it cuts across the entire Akwa Ibom State and the whole of Nigeria. In those days when Mobil came newly, they used to listen and show us that truly they are in our place as the first people to suffer the effects of oil exploration. But when the state government came in, no such preferential treatment again till date.
Let me ask you, in Akwa Ibom State, you have many good roads, when the state government started repairing these roads which road should have come first? Is it not the road to oil — Ibeno road? But till today, is Ibeno road not still under construction? Right from when Isemin was elected governor, Attah, Akpabio — under whom we had several dual carriage roads and flyovers. It is only now that they are working on Ibeno road. Are the flyovers in Uyo more relevant than Ibeno road?
How many of the locals, indigenes are qualified for jobs/businesses in the petroleum downstream sector?
We have qualified companies, though not many; but we have qualified companies that can handle most of the maintenance services they will need.
…like Azimarine?
Yes! Azimarine has been in the business for many years and Mobil knows it. They know our capability; we do topside and subsea maintenance services with no question or query. In the next 10 years, Azimarine would be bigger, very big in capacity to handle more services.
What is Azimarine employment capacity like?
We employ both Akwa Ibomites and non-Akwa Ibomites. Our chief accountant is a Yoruba man; operations director is from Edo State; chief engineer from Kogi; technicians from the East, North and Rivers State. We employ across the country. We are foremost in training youths of Ibeno since 1985 till date in several skills and that is why the area is calm.
What is your advice to the current Governor, Udom Emmanuel, and the Buhari-led administration?
My advice to Udom is an appeal to him to be God-fearing, not to suppress people like his predecessors did. He will find favour from God by so doing. If you sow good, you will reap good. So don’t expect to reap good when you sow bad. If Udom believes it is the Lord God that put him there and he does things in the fear of God, he will succeed. If you have the fear of God and put God ahead in everything you do, you will succeed. Let him put God first in everything he does.
The acting president, Yemi Osinbanjo, is a Nigerian; he knows what is happening in Nigeria. If you know a particular resource comes from a particular place and you want to share the dividend, let the higher percentage go to those people because it is the Lord God that deposited this good things in different parts of this country. Let Nigerians too also eat from it. The Lord God said, ‘Let the strong carry the weak’.
But a situation where we have other mineral resources from the North and nobody talks about them, but the crude oil that comes from Niger Delta does everything in Nigeria. You don’t balance the equation and in everything you do if you forget about God’s judgement you have made a mistake. So I will advise them the same way, put God first. If you have the fear of God, you will know that what you believe shouldn’t be done to you, you should not do to others. That way you will guide yourself aright.
How do you relax?
I relax in prayer mood. My hobby is praying. After my business engagements, I relax in communication with God because I have a lot of flock to look after. You know what it means to be able to pray and obtain answers from the Lord God. The person you are praying for, you expect positive change in him. So you have to put in extra time for yourself spiritually. Apart from this spiritual exercise I have table tennis where I sweat it out.
