The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) on Wednesday, November 12, hosted a thought-provoking book reading session featuring His Royal Majesty, King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, Bayelsa State.
The event, held at the Board’s headquarters in Yenagoa, spotlighted Pirates of the Gulf, a book the royal author described as both fictional and factual, crafted to expose the true perpetrators of oil theft in the Niger Delta.
According to King Dakolo, the popular narrative of oil theft in the region has long been misrepresented, with actual victims often mistaken for culprits.
"If you set up a country and organise it in a way to produce engineers, you’ll have engineers. If you structure it to produce poetry, you’ll have poets.
"The pollution in the Niger Delta is preventable, and the fact that no oil thief is in jail is also preventable. Nigeria loses about 200,000 barrels of crude oil daily, yet spends billions chasing the wrong people," he said.
The monarch criticised the nation’s approach to combating oil theft, arguing that security forces are often deployed against the wrong targets.
"They are not told to go after the oil thieves; they are told to go after victims of oil thievery," he said.
Touching on the chapter about education, King Dakolo compared modern Western education with traditional African learning, noting that the latter involves societal impact.
"If your education doesn’t reflect in how you interact with your neighbour, you are not educated," stressing that education should not just equalise; it should humanise.
When asked about the symbolism of the book’s cover images depicting a split personality, King Dakolo clarified that many of those labelled as oil pirates are, in reality, victims of systemic exploitation.
"Nobody steals crude oil and puts it in his pocket. You need a vessel, and nobody in my kingdom owns one. No oil thief can even spend a night in the creeks without full military escort and medical backup. The real thieves operate far from the creeks," he said.
He further linked large-scale oil theft to subsidy racketeering and the manipulation of petroleum imports, adding that the real profiteers remain untouchable.
Representing Dr Obinna Ezeobi, General Manager of the Corporate Communications Division at NCDMB, Mr Teleola Oyeleke presented gifts to the monarch in appreciation for his insight and candour.
"We appreciate His Majesty for taking the time to share his thoughts on piracy and oil theft in the Niger Delta, especially down to how people perceive it," Oyeleke said.
In his closing remarks, King Dakolo thanked the NCDMB for providing a platform to enlighten Nigerians on the realities of oil piracy.
"I want to applaud the NCDMB for creating a segment like this. You will agree with me that education, particularly the right education. In a country where those who have good certificates could still act like they never went to school, it means that education is what we need for people to act right," he said.
Also in attendance were Her Royal Majesty, Queen Timinipre Bubaraye Dakolo, their children, staff of the NCDMB, and other dignitaries.
READ ALSO: Nigerian-Led London Phone Heist Gang Jailed for 55 Years
Commendable
ReplyDelete