Former President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State have shared their thoughts on the impact of crude oil production in Nigeria 70 years after it was discovered in commercial quantities.
The duo and other stakeholders spoke on Monday about the cost and gains of crude oil exploration in the Niger Delta region at the opening of the 2026 Sweet Crude Dialogue held at the Conference Centre of the Nigerian Content Towers in Yenagoa.
The dialogue with the theme: Through the Python’s Eye: 70 years of Oil and Gas Production in Nigeria brought together industry experts, academia and government officials, as they called on stakeholders to chart a better future for the region.
Jonathan, who chaired the event, in his remarks, said Nigeria could only make appreciable progress in the oil industry if most of the requirements for oil production are locally sourced.
He pointed out that the export of crude oil cannot result in economic diversification or adequate job creation in the country.
‘If we cannot develop or produce some of these things used in the oil industry within the country, we will not achieve anything significant in the oil industry. It is not just about selling crude oil.
‘Yes, we earn money from that, but that does not diversify the economy and create enough jobs. What will diversify our economy is the industrial aspects of the operations of the oil industry.
‘That’s why I am happy with the local content board law my administration enacted in 2010 and the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021. With these two pieces of legislation and if they are followed to the letter with amendments where necessary, I believe things will be much better,’ Jonathan said.
Governor Douye Diri, who was represented by Peter Akpe, his deputy, decried the level of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta and called on well-meaning organisations to work towards achieving justice for the region.
Diri said about 13 million barrels of crude oil were spilt between 1958 and 2010, quoting from the report of the defunct Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission led by John Sentamu, an archbishop.
He described the Commission’s findings as sobering, stressing that what happened to the state is ‘nothing short of an environmental genocide.’
The governor therefore urged De Mangrove Conversations and other environmental advocacy groups to collaborate with the state government to ensure the implementation of the recommendations of the commission.
Ibibia Worika, a Professor of Comparative Petroleum and International Law and Policy, said 70 years of oil production had generated unprecedented wealth for Nigeria, but also exposed structural weaknesses in governance.
Worika added that the Niger Delta, which bears the brunt of oil production, has little to show for its contribution, stressing that environmental justice for the region is ‘a constitutional, moral and developmental imperative.’
Sheriff Oborevwori, Governor of Delta State, represented by Johnson Erijo, his Chief of Staff, was among those who delivered goodwill messages at the two-day event.
The session was moderated by Franklin Osaisai, a Professor of Nuclear Engineering and former Director General of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission.