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Former President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan was yesterday joined by the Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri and other leaders, to reflect on the cost and benefits of oil exploration in the Niger Delta with a call on stakeholders to chart a better future for the region.
The leaders spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Sweet Crude Dialogue held at the Conference Centre of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB, Towers in Yenagoa.
The Sweet Crude Dialogue, themed “Through the Python’s Eye: 70 Years of Oil and Gas Production in Nigeria,” brought together industry players, the academia and top government functionaries.
Speaking as Chairman of the event, Former President, Goodluck Jonathan said Nigeria can only achieve meaningful progress in the oil and gas sector by deepening local content and moving beyond crude export, as leaders gathered in Bayelsa to assess 70 years of petroleum production.
Jonathan argued that exporting crude alone would not guarantee economic diversification or sufficient job creation.
He said, “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 of the crude oil.
“Yes, we earn money from that but that does not diversify the economy and create enough jobs. What will diversify your economy is the industrial aspects of the operations of the oil industry.”
The former president expressed satisfaction with the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of 2010 enacted under his administration and the Petroleum Industry Act of 2021, urging full implementation with necessary amendments.
“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, I believe things will be much better,” he added.
On his part, Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, represented by his Deputy, Dr. Peter Akpe, decried the scale of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta and called for urgent remediation.
Quoting the report of the defunct Archbishop John Sentamu-led Bayelsa State Oil and Environment Commission, Diri said about 13 million barrels of crude were spilled in the region between 1958, when Nigeria made her first crude shipment, and 2010.
He described the findings as “sobering,” noting that the Commission’s Chairman had described what happened to Bayelsa as “nothing short of an environmental genocide.”
“The State Government has embraced the Commission’s findings, and the Governor has asked me to reaffirm this administration’s commitment to environmental justice, the remediation of our lands and waters, the restoration of livelihoods, and a just energy transition,” he said.
The Governor called on De Mangrove Conversations and other environmental advocacy groups to collaborate with government to ensure the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations, stressing that “a report of such weight must not remain on the shelf.”
Delivering the keynote address, Prof. Ibibia Worika, Professor of Comparative Petroleum and International Law and Policy, said 70 years of oil production generated unprecedented wealth but also exposed structural weaknesses in governance.
Prof. Worika, a former Secretary to Rivers State Government, SSG, noted that the Niger Delta, which bears the brunt of oil production, has little to show for its contribution, and described environmental justice for the region as “a constitutional, moral and developmental imperative.”
“Instead of serving as a catalyst for economic diversification, petroleum gradually replaced agriculture, weakened manufacturing and encouraged dependency on resource rent.
“The tragedy of the Niger Delta reminds us that development cannot be measured by revenue generation alone. Development must necessarily improve the wellbeing of the people as well as protect the environment,” Prof. Worika said
Also present at the event were the Governor of Delta State, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by his Chief of Staff, Prince Johnson Erijo, who delivered a goodwill message.
A plenary session featured panelists including the Managing Director of NDDC, Chief Samuel Ogbuku, represented by Pastor James Oworibo; PANDEF National Chairman, Dr. Godknows Igali, represented by Prof. Stephen Olali; Vice Chancellor of Bayelsa Medical University, Prof. Dimie Ogoina; Prof. Ibaba Samuel Ibaba of Niger Delta University; and NCDMB Managing Director, Engr. Felix Ogbe, represented by Barr. Esueme Kikile.
The event ended with calls for stronger implementation of local content laws, environmental remediation, and a development model that prioritizes people and the environment in the Niger Delta.
