Liberia has recently discovered oil in commercial quantities but has only 5% share |
“Bad leadership is Africa’s major
problem”, -J.A Kuffuor, former president of Ghana.
The above problem as observed by
the former president will NEVER change for as long as the African people do not
understand why this problem exists and how the system can be defeated.
Fortunately, everybody knows very well that the corruption which the West often
accuse African leaders of, is the right environment that they need for their
resource-control colonialism to thrive.
Liberian oil and the Looting of Africa
The looting of African oil has begun in Grand Style,
this time not in Nigeria nor Ghana but right in Liberia, also located in the
West African region. For a country which has remained one of Africa’s poorest
for decades, many were those who heaved a deep sigh of relief when Liberia
recently announced to have “discovered” oil in commercial quantities, joining
her West African sisters: Ghana, Nigeria and some others.
Oil deposits in the West African coast has existed for decades |
Let the African people not be deceived, the oil
scavengers are now looming over West Africa and if we are not careful to choose
rightly between the Nigerian and Ghanaian models of exploitation, there will be
no real benefit and this political bonanza could definitely be a curse for the
Liberian people in the long run.
Obviously, like their Ghanaian neighbours, with the current stable political climate
and the recent oil find, Liberians all over the world are gripped with the
expected prosperity that the oil and gas exploration “will bring” to their
country. Undoubtedly, if it is well managed, the opportunities that will
accompany the exploitation of the black gold could transform the destiny of the
entire country for generations to come. It is with this understanding which has
consequently raised the hopes and aspirations of many in the country who look
forward to seeing improvements in their living conditions from 2014 and beyond.
Unfortunately
these aspirations may turn out to be a nightmare if the people do not rise up
to the government to take some time and adequately scrutinize the said oil “agreement”
and also set up a national platform for dialogue on the best way forward, so that
together, there will be a dialogue to secure a reasonable percentage share (70%
and above) for the people whose interest the government claim to serve.
According to a recent statement
issued by the Nobel Peace Prize winner, President Ellen Johnson, the American
Oil company, Exxon Mobil will own a whooping 80% of the oil shares discovered
in Liberia, while their Canadian neighbours, the Canadian Oversea Petroleum
Limited (COPL), will own 20%. Therefore many are wondering: where does this place the people of Liberia?
What percentage share does the government of Liberia have in this oil deal? The
African people would want to know.
Oil exploration commences with high hopes for economic transformation |
Our major problem as Africans is
that we lack leaders with adequate planning skills. Before we rush to
commission most projects, we do not adequately take the time to plan against
the unforeseeable challenges that may likely show up in the near future.
Is Liberia well-prepared to deal with corruption in the oil and gas
sector? Is the government prepared to face the angry youth who are likely to
take up arms as we see in Nigeria? In Nigeria, many agitated so-called rebel
groups rose up and took arms to fight what they call “corruption in the oil and
gas sector”, a situation which has currently gotten out of control. Will
Liberia learn some lessons from Nigeria or as usual, the leadership will wait
unprepared, for the problems to come up before they run back to their NATO
saviours for solutions?
Although
President Ellen Johnson has not said what would happen to the Liberian share,
the President and CEO of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL), Dr.
Randolph McClain, explained that the negotiating
team of the Liberian government secured a 5% citizens participation share in
LB-13 and a further 5% royalty on oil produced from wells drilled under
water depths of 0–1500 meters.
Angered by
the shocking news, Okechuku, a PhD student at Oxford University wondered:
“When Liberia was in crisis, did the US and Canada send any help?
I’m shocked at how a country's wealth is being giving away for peanuts. Is this
the reason why the president was awarded the Nobel Prize some months ago? Ellen
Johnson has always been the World Bank’s darling girl anyway. You don’t get a
Nobel Peace Award without signing such deals.”
This has always been my point.
The man is absolutely right! Of course that is the price the people pay when
our leaders are given such awards by US-funded NGOs such as Human Right Watch,
and the so-called Nobel Peace Prize.
Remember Ellen Johnson was given the Noble Prize somewhere last year?
Yeah, that was when the “actual oil deal” was sealed. I guess someone now has a
clue as to why our leaders will always sign such unacceptable agreements. The
selfishness of our leaders is the reason for our underdevelopment. Our people
must rise up and say no to all those foreign funded NGOs who have been
buying-off our leaders and our independence with their so-called awards. It's a
shame. No nationalism, no patriotism of any kind. How can a country that has
suffered over a decade of economic hardship, settle for some 10% ‘royalty’ in a
multi-billion resource like oil?
Oil for Nobel Peace Award? |
Meanwhile at
the moment, although early indications are positive, the exact extent of oil
deposits found in the country still remains unknown. Leaders have already
settled for a peanut from big oil corporations as they hand over the oil
reserves to the western firms with virtually nothing left for the ordinary
Liberian in the near future.
The Canadian
Overseas Petroleum Limited (COPL) recently disclosed offering the politicians, a
mere U$45m in cash toward the purchase
of block 13 of Liberia's oil industry, a move which will see Liberia lose
billions of dollars every year to the COPL. I wonder why these politicians will just sell the oil
reserves for merely $45m when the actual oil deposit is yet unknown? How many
of the poor Liberian families will benefit from the $45m given to the
politicians?
Liberian politicians have been
blinded by the mere $45millon they received as “signature fee”, forgetting about the long term financial loses, the
environmental damage and all the hardships the country will endure while their
foreign ‘donors’ bag a whopping 95% profit shares on a monthly basis! Oh
Africa! When are we seriously going to plan for tomorrow? Why are African
leaders so keen on the few millions today, while they ignore the billions which
the big oil companies will be reaping in the coming years?
US-funded NGOs honours President Ellen Johnson as a leverage for more oil |
For a country like Liberia which had been
plunged into civil war and suffered decades of economic hardship, seeing the
need to put such oil agreements in the public domain, and discussing them in consultation
with leaders of the regional block would have been a better decision.
But as usual, African leaders never consult their colleagues during such critical moments. Only a few millions into their offshore accounts and the agreement is sealed, living the poor masses to their fate.
Will Liberia Repeat Nigeria and Ghana’s Mistakes?
In Nigeria for instance, as
western oil companies loot some $140 Billion a year of the country’s oil,
two-thirds of the country’s 160 million people live on less than $2 a day.
Western oil companies are literally looting Nigeria’s oil, paying as little as
a 9% royalty. Simply put, at $100 a barrel the western oil companies get $91
and Nigeria only gets $9. Or more shockingly, Big Oil makes $140 billion a year
vs. Nigeria’s $10 Billion, writes Thomas C. Mountain as he reveals the shocking
reasons why many Nigerians remain the poorest in Africa despite the country
having plenty of oil and gas.
Ghana's Oil Has Been Sold Off Already
Today in Ghana, when Tullow Oils makes a profit of $3 billion, Ghana gets
only $3 million out of that. Can this agreement truly better the lives of
Ghanaians? Yet, former president Kuffuor, the man who recently suggested that bad
leadership is Africa’s problem, was the same president who signed Ghana's
oil agreement handing over our oil to the foreign firms. This is what happens
when foreign corporations are allowed to secretly finance our politicians for into
power during election periods!
The time is right for the African
parliaments to consider banning these traitors who call themselves politicians
from receiving funds from abroad as a means to finance their political campaigns.
I am calling on the African youth to rise up and rebel against such dangerous
oil agreements which has given our black gold to the foreign companies for
free. This is our destiny and we must not allow foreigners to steal it through
these greedy politicians who care only about themselves and their families. If
the oil were to be the personal property of the politicians, would they approve
such unfair contracts?
Unfortunately, instead of the African
media to critically examine the content of all those oil agreement, these
journalists are only concerned about elections, always discussing the
politicians as if there are no other issues worth discussing.
The Way Forward:
Legislations must be introduced
to ban all politicians from sourcing for funds from abroad during elections
periods. It is usually during such times such contract documents are signed.
The country’s planners should not
neglect other sectors of the economy. They should try to deepen economic
activities in other areas in order to diversify to avoid exogenous shocks due
to volatility in the prices of oil on the international markets.
Privatization of state resources
must cease with immediate effect. Governments cannot continue with the habit of
selling off every strategic resource without adequate long term planning.
African leaders must take the pain to invest in the training of more engineers
to help build our industries so that we can manage the exploitation of our
resources. The current attitude of putting everything in the hands of the
Whiteman must stop. The Blackman must for once develop the habit of managing
his own affairs.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the
beginning of a long walk to perpetual poverty and economic impoverishment in
Liberia as Big Oil corporations begin to loot Liberian worth. For very
$100billion of profits made by the oil corporations, Liberians will only get
some few $100 million donations.
I miss Chavez, I miss Gadhafi.
These leaders showed oil-rich Africans the way, but due to corruption and
selfishness, our leaders will not follow their steps. This is the major reason
why I hate African democracy. For it is during these election periods that our
politicians sign many of such bogus contracts. Once they ‘win’ the elections,
any bogus agreements presented to them by their foreign donors, they will
approve it. It’s a big challenge.
It’s time for everyone to wake up
and see how the ‘system’ now works in African politics. Certainly,
neo-colonialism is the last stage of imperialism. Ghanaians have already settled for
some 10% share in their most-talked about oil. Nigerians have quietly accepted
9% for more than 50yrs.
Honourable Saka
The writer is a Pan-African analyst and the founder of the Project Pan-Africa
(PPA), an organization that was established to unlock the minds of the
African youth to take Africa’s destiny into their hands. The
PPA seeks to provide the biggest platform that will give international
exposure to all hidden but exceptional talents in Africa. Please visit
us at: www.projectpanafrica.org and support the project. PPA is grateful to ITech Plus, ZBC News GhanaWeb, ModernGhana and all our partners that support our vision for Africa. Email me at: honourablesaka@yahoo.co.uk
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