The discovery of crude oil in Kwara State

There has been some excitement over the recent report that crude oil has been discovered in Kwara State. The state governor, Mr. Abdulfatah Ahmed, who broke the news, said the discovery was made in Aran Orin in Irepodun Local Government Area by a farmer who found an oily substance spouting from his farm and seven other nearby sites. The farmer alerted the government of the discovery, following which geologists from the state Ministry of Industry and Solid Minerals were directed to investigate and confirm the genuineness of the finding.

According to Governor Ahmed, the geologists not only confirmed that the substance was crude oil, but were also able to identify it as Bonny Light, a high quality blend of crude oil preferred by American and European refineries. Besides, the governor said, a subsequent independent analysis by a private oil company had also confirmed the government’s findings. Further tests are now being carried out to determine if the crude oil deposit in Ara Orin is in commercial quantities. There have been some reports, however, that the concerned federal authorities have claimed ignorance of the alleged oil discovery in Kwara, thus suggesting that the state government may not have carried along the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and its relevant departments and agencies up to this stage. Be that as it may, we think the state government’s claim should not be dismissed without investigation as untrue.

There is need, instead, for the relevant federal authorities to initiate a formal inquiry into Governor Ahmed’s claim to ascertain its veracity. Where any procedural irregularities are observed, attention should be called to them. The oil discovery in Kwara State is significant for obvious reasons, especially if it is confirmed that the deposits are in commercial quantities. That would ultimately place Kwara in the league of the nation’s oil-producing states, with the financial implications of additional revenue from the Federation Account, based on the derivation principle. At the same time, as experience in the older oil-producing communities has shown, oil exploration and exploitation activities will come with serious challenges, notably the threat of environmental pollution and the marginalization of the local communities, which may breed social tension. This is why the relevant federal authorities – the Federal Environmental Protection Agency inclusive – must take proactive steps to ensure that all necessary procedures are strictly observed in the further exploration of the alleged oil deposits in Aran Orin, Irepodun LGA of Kwara State.

A proper environmental impact assessment of further exploratory activities is required, so as to protect the environment from any preventable harm. Every necessary measure should also be put in place to safeguard the interests and rights of the local communities, in accordance with the law and industry best practices – beginning from this early state. The various tiers of government must ensure that the tragedies that have been associated with the discovery and exploitation of oil resources in the Niger Delta are not replicated elsewhere in the country, should oil be discovered in other communities.

The decades-old gas flares, the reckless pollution of the environment and destruction of the Eco-system, leaving the oil producing communities without a means of livelihood, the looting of oil-export proceeds by a conscienceless political elite (national and local), the infrastructural neglect of the oil communities and their heinous pauperization, the resultant festering of discontent in the communities and the rise of militant youths and escalation of criminal activities and general insecurity – that is a historical path that the nation cannot afford to tread again. The Kwara State Government should not only resolve that its oil resource – and indeed any other mineral resource – must not become a curse to its people, it must also take immediate action to bring its activities so far on the issue in full compliance with the extant regulations. It seems odd that the federal authorities should complain – as reported – that they are unaware of the Kwara oil discovery, considering that the subject is on the exclusive legislative list.