NewStats: 3,261,709 , 8,174,879 topics. Date: Friday, 30 May 2025 at 09:03 AM 5q3j3x

by Bunmi Aduloju


Former President Goodluck Jonathan says no laws were designed to protect Nigerians when oil was discovered in 1956.

Jonathan spoke on Wednesday night at the Champions of Nigerian Content Awards Dinner organised by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

Jonathan said a Ugandan once told him how he developed skills before g an agreement with international oil companies (IOCs) to avoid mistakes made by Nigeria.

“I brought up this story because I used to tell people that if at the beginning of the oil discovery we had laws designed to protect us, Nigeria would have gone further than this. But we didn’t have those kinds of laws,” he said.

“Of course, the first law that controlled the oil industry was the Mineral Oil Ordinance of 1886, I’m not sure if Nigeria played any role in developing that law.

“The second one was the Mineral Oil Ordinance of 1914, when we amalgamated. I don’t know how many Nigerians have any knowledge about petroleum law.”

Jonathan said the bill that became the law that started the oil industry was the Petroleum Act of 1969, which came after the discovery of oil in commercial quantity in 1956 and after independence in 1960.

“The next proposed law was the Petroleum Industry Act that we worked on during my government, but luckily, in 2021, it was ed into law,” he said.


JONATHAN: WHY LAW WAS ED TO LOCAL CONTENT

The former president said the Local Content Act was ed in April 2010 when the minister of petroleum told him there was a private law sponsored by senator Lee Maeba to promote local content in the oil and gas industry.

“What is the story about the Nigerian content, or what’s popularly called the local content? I signed that law in April 2010 because of the experience I had in the Year 2000,” he said.

“Then, I was the deputy governor of Bayelsa state, and I led a trade delegation to China. And because we are from the Niger Delta, an oil-producing area, we decided to visit some of the oil cities.

“When he visited what the Chinese call the oil capital, Daqing, they took us through their library, through their museum. They told us stories from the beginning of the mining activities up to that time.

“ that the Western companies discovered oil in commercial quantities in Nigeria in 1956. The same Western companies discovered oil in commercial quantities in China in 1968, two years later.”

Jonathan said that by 2000, most of the needs of the oil industry in China were manufactured locally — a situation that was not obtainable in Nigeria.

The former president said he immediately signed the bill after his experience in China.

https://www.thecable.ng/jonathan-no-laws-were-designed-to-protect-nigerians-when-oil-was-discovered/

Ok

You was there for 6 years..

You could have done better..

Jona, na now you know this?

You didn't know this when you and your corrupt ministers were stealing the country dry?
Stealing is not corruption master.
I beg go and sit down somewhere, these people always have great epiphanies the momonet they are out of power, but while in power they lack the same wisdom and vision.

There were

You may be president again… but don't contest against the incumbent...because you won't be able to win against him.

Baba Jonathan, mama peace nko?

Indeed

Tinubu vehemently insulted, criticized Jonathan. Now that he's there , he s far worse. There will be a shocker come 2027...

And it was deliberate

Nigerians said they don't need your type, You're too gentle to be thier president, they don't like democracy, Tinubu of today criticized you so badly, most insulted President ever , dem say woman dey control you abi weytin dem talk again that year

Now they're crying 😢 that you're better off

Your efforts in that direction are appreciated Sir.

Nigeria is a strange place.
What works in other countries don't work in Nigeria.
From what GEJ is saying, the local content initiative in China enabled them to fashion tools locally so that most of the equipment they use in their oil industry is manufactured in China but Nigeria local content is all about labour supply and short changing workers, that is why today some oil workers earn peanuts.

Nigeria is a mentally depraved sic country

Who does that?

How can you not have laws to protect your own people when oil was discovered?

So after your experience in year 2000, you failed to make sure the national assembly the law throughout the 6 years you're in power

And you didn't bother to laws to protect the people when you were there...

PulaPower:
You was there for 6 years..

You could have done better..

How is the man there doing better now
Is he not searching for audio oil in the north with niger Delta money to placate the north?

Ikaeniyan0:
So after your experience in year 2000, you failed to make sure the national assembly the law throughout the 6 years you're in power

Always learn to read
We know your typing from hate but at least be reasonable

I know you meant well for the people, the powers use the people to fight you, they called you and your families names, the must popular one is the clueless one but today everyone that called you such a name has been proven wrongly. Those religiou leaders/ politicians are now chasing shadows. The current government are confused they don’t know how to bring in stability, they’re full of excuses, lies is normal now in the society, I wish help is coming soon 🔜

He did well on that but we need to do more for the oil producing areas. It's embarrassing that most of their towns and the people don't reflect their God given wealth.

On a different note, one wonders why the people are never angry with the looters of their commonwealth but will rather fight FG alone. What have the governors done to significantly improve the lives of their people with the huge allocation that they get?

Islie:


https://www.thecable.ng/jonathan-no-laws-were-designed-to-protect-nigerians-when-oil-was-discovered/

The absence of the law made Abuja and Lagos become the oil capitals of Nigeria, while the Niger delta region which is supposed to be the oil capital of Nigeria and should have become developed like Dubai is left with pollution and diseases.

delpee:
He did well on that but we need to do more for the oil producing areas. It's embarrassing that most of their towns and the people don't reflect their God given wealth.

On a different note, one wonders why the people are never angry with the looters of their commonwealth but will rather fight FG alone. What have the governors done to significantly improve the lives of their people with the huge allocation that they get?

Sotay, with the arrival of Buhari as president, social infrastructures like standard gauge railway lines are excluded from the Niger delta region, but built in the Southwest, Northwest and even to Niger Republic.
There was a country, Nigeria, that's why the hurry to use oil and gas revenue to build these modern infrastructures in the Southwest and Northwest but excluding the hen that lays the golden egg.

This is true.....

And what did you do to correct it as a president?

This man suffer for Tinubu hand sha

Insults to him, his family and children 24/7, even his daughters wedding was criticized, at some point people said the first lady had children for other men and that the children were not GEJ's children, all from Sahara reporter and Lagos Ibadan express. It is well

But sir despite I'm your diee hard er, you were there for 6 years and you are from the oil region you should have make sure such protective law comes up and stand.

CommonSense1967:
Jona, na now you know this?

You didn't know this when you and your corrupt ministers were stealing the country dry?
Stealing is not corruption master.
I beg go and sit down somewhere, these people always have great epiphanies the momonet they are out of power, but while in power they lack the same wisdom and vision.

Read, you said no. The article clearly states that such law was ed in 2010 when he was president.

Oga what did you do when you were the president?

Jonathan didn't talk about Madam Dieziani Alison Madueke the foremost Petroleum minister he appointed in 2010!

She still dey send us yearly $ alert like Abacha!

This last January 2025 we got over $50M from such proceeds from the US according to BBC.

Nchenches:
Sotay, with the arrival of Buhari as president, social infrastructures like standard gauge railway lines are excluded from the Niger delta region, but built in the Southwest, Northwest and even to Niger Republic.
There was a country, Nigeria, that's why the hurry to use oil and gas revenue to build these modern infrastructures in the Southwest and Northwest but excluding the hen that lays the golden egg.

And don't we have the NDDC aka Niger Delta Development Commission that was created in 2000 to aleviate the sufferings of the region. And the head of NDDC has always being people from the region. And with all the fund alloacted to them since 2000-2025 almost 25 years you still complain here?

I think they collected N776 Billion plus in the last budget. Their allocation is always the highest.