As a UN peace ambassador, he provides humanitarian services to his immediate and distant environment. Most recent of his services, is the campaign against human trafficking, a rally held in Effurun area of Delta state.
He speaks with Isoko Mirror's Senior Correspondent, Elo Edremoda and Reporter, Rita Ossai, on activities of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), crude oil exploration effects on host communities, as well as the response of Nigeria's government to the plight of the people, in this interview.
Excerpts:
What can you tell us about your Foundation?
In my foundation, we take care of widows, youths, health, education and good governance. When we talk of governance, it is what we project to the people because democracy is government of the people by the people and for the people, so whatever you do in your small area is governance.
Looking at peace, where there is conflict, that community cannot move on and we have been talking about peace even in our country Nigeria. But the peace is eluding us gradually.
How long has this NGO existed, and what are your reasons for establishing the NGO?
The NGO has been in existence since 2006. And the reasons for establishing an NGO is to create an avenue for me to help those in need, because I had always wanted to touch the lives of the needy especially the widows. But there are many ways in which to reach out to them such as drawing them closer, educating them and taking care of some of their needs.
Whenever someone talks to them they are happy because even their husbands' relatives don’t want to have anything to do with them. Still some people cannot do that because they feel their demands, children school fees, house rent, and sometimes even food to eat, are much.
So these are things lacking in our society. It is not bad to have money but if we share with others we will bring peace to our land, because Jesus Christ told us to feed anyone who is hungry, thirsty and give the naked ones clothes to wear.
I have a passion for humans that is why I set up this NGO because if you don’t have passion for humans you will not set up a foundation or run an NGO.
Can you say you have achieved or are achieving your objectives?
Yes, I am an achiever.
May we know some of the projects you have embarked on?
Yes, Okugbe Primary School, Ekpan, has water today because I repaired and gave them water. Emiye Girls Grammar School, Oleh, lacked water and I also provided them with running water. In Army Day Secondary School Effurun, the teachers had no toilet. I provided them with three toilets, one for male one for female and the other for the children.
We are also solving health problems to enable people live well. Tuberculosis is one of the most common air borne disease. It is worse than HIV, I know this by the training of what I have done in my job.
Last year, we held a programme in Warri and we found over a thousand tuberculosis patients. We are not done with them because the programme is for two years and there are still many carriers out there.
The numbers of the carriers have started receiving treatment because the global funds from European Union provided drugs for tuberculosis to be treated free of charge. A lot of people have been cured while some are afraid of stigmatization and they run. Very soon we will be on it again because there are some called Medically Drug Resistance (MDR). These ones will be treated for a year with injection. There are different stages, the early stage can be treated for six months while the other will require treatment for one year and six months.
We also distribute free medicated mosquito nets to help people work on malaria because malaria is the third killer disease in the world. The riverine communities are most affected because of the poor condition of their environment.
What can you tell us about oil bearing communities and the effects of oil exploration activities in their environment, some people still believe their claims are exaggerated?
I worked in the oil industry and retired there. It is not an exaggeration. Even the Warri Refinery, look at the roofs of houses in the environment, when it rains you cannot fetch the rain water because it is dark and hazardous. God has given us thick skin, so that we won’t be affected easily.
In Europe, things like this don’t happen. If you find a film of such oil in any of their small rivers, that company will be shutdown because they have government. In our country, oil is spilled in our water and it makes no meaning to any body. Those are health hazards because it is that same water the people in the riverine communities will drink, cook, bathe and wash their clothes in, so they are invariably using crude oil in all their activities.
When these spills occur, the oil companies claim third party interference, the communities say 'no', the pipes are old and ruptured, but government seems to seat on the fence. What could really be the problem?
The government itself is a problem. They are supposed to have 60% of the business while the oil companies have 40% of the deal. When there is a fault government does not want to spend but they are supposed to spend money for the people and damages. Even when an oil company fixes the faults, the government will not compensate them. It is like what is happening in Ogoni today. It costs money to remediate.
What is government doing about it?
The oil industry is been regulated by the federal government and we do not have a say there. The federal government needs the money and not us, they do not need the Niger Delta. What they need from us is the money and when they get it they turn their back and go away.
What can we do to solve this problem?
By doing good legislation. For years now, we have had the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) in the National Assembly. More than two legislatures have come and gone and the PIB is still there because it affects your life in the Niger Delta. It doesn't affect the Northerners, so nobody is interested.
If our legislators who we sent there are able to understand what they are doing, then something should have been done. But their own is to go there, collect their money and go back home.
Do you carry out your operations beyond Delta State?
Yes, we hold symposiums in Delta, Abuja and Port-Harcourt about various activities. We are not localized but are registered as a national organization.
How do you get funding for the NGO?
We get funding from donors. The TB we are doing, malaria treatment, are all from global funds like World Health Organization (WHO).
The genuineness of some NGOs have been overtime questioned, with the belief that some are out to enrich themselves. Then again, people claim that workers are most times paid short of agreed arrangements with funding partners. What is your opinion on these issues?
It is myself I know because we have heard things like that. If I have a programme, whatever is designated to the workers always get to them. I told you I dealt with tuberculosis for two years and during this period the workers were paid sixty thousand naira per month because that was designated to them.
Investigations have revealed that we have more NGOs or donors working in the Northern part of Nigeria than in the South, why is it?
It is true because lots of donors are trooping to the North and we do not have such here.
Can we hope it is not political?
It maybe.
There are allegations that directives where given from top government cadre that donors should focus in the North, is this true?
It was said, we heard it. And it is so, they are concentrating more in the North. Some NGOs have moved their offices to Kaduna, Kano, Adamawa because there are more donors in the north. If it were to be in the South, they will say Southerners will kill them (donors). This time we are not killing any body but the donors are more in the North. It is happening. Their reasons may be political, but I can't give that answer.
Is there no way that these issues can be addressed with the donors, if needs are identified in the Southern region?
Now this is what happens in the NGO world. Even when you make up the needs assessment to be sent to the donors, they will tell you 'your area is not part of our geographical funding area' and there is nothing you can do. You cannot take the money forcefully from them. Mind you, we don’t see them. It is only through written documents we communicate with them.
Can you say your working with Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), prepared you for all what you are involved in now?
First, you are not limited to one particular place. You are moved from one department to another, so as a result, you have lots of experiences, even in areas you were not schooled in, before retirement.
For instance, I was in transport and was moved to Well Engineering, then Accounting Department and from there to Communication. All these experiences I gathered during the 35 years I worked with Shell and it gave me lots of confidence.
You talked about cannabis and the health benefits earlier. Can you explain some of the health benefits of the herb?
Yes, they are very good herbs used to produce vital drugs that cure illnesses like cancer.
CDB (Cannabidiol) oil is gotten from cannabis. We should start thinking of how we can produce this oil to help people who are suffering from cancer.
Cannabis is not a bad herb, it is used for healing people but most people misuse it. It is not for smoking.
What is your message to the public?
We have a country called Nigeria. It is occupied by humans, so we should try as much as we can to make this country a better place and stop thinking of travelling out because if everybody runs away, who will live here?
The bible says that if the good ones keep quiet, evil will continue to strive because the good ones are afraid to speak, so we should continue to speak for the bad people to change.
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