“God shouldn’t forgive Govt if it messes up our oil” – Nana Kobina Nketia

Omanhene of Essikado Traditional Area, Nana Kobina Nketia V, has said “God should never forgive” Ghana’s current Government if “those in power” destroyed the young oil producing country’s crude and other natural resources.

“I’m tired of hearing this. It depresses you that with the right governance, we can become the hub of growth for the West African sub-region, we’ve messed up almost all our natural resources, if this one [oil] is messed up, those in power, God should never forgive them,” the Essikado paramount Chief fumed.

Ghana started commercial production of oil in 2011 in the West Cape Three Point in the Western Region.

The fields are estimated to hold about 3 billion barrels of oil. The Government estimates about 5 billion barrels could be exploited from the same fields in the future.

Among the fields being drilled currently are: Jubilee, Mahogany-East, Tweneboa, Enyenra (ex Owo) and FPSO Kwame Nkrumah MV21, all offshore fields in the Western Region.

Several other oil and gas fields with commercial prospects have also been discovered. They include: Dzata, Banda, Onyina, Teak, Wawa, Cuda, Sankofa, Odum, Paradise, Ankasa-1, Gye Nyame-1, Starfish-1, Deep Turonian & Cenomanian as well as Dahomey Up-dip & Sapele.

Speaking at a national multi-stakeholders forum on the petroleum exploration and production bill, 2013, Nana Nketia, together with some of his colleague chiefs in the Western Region– which plays host to a lot of Ghana’s oil and gas resources– expressed misgivings about what they referred to as government’s lack of transparency in connection with revenue accrued from oil production.

The Chiefs say the government must disclose all the revenue and benefits accrued from oil production since early 2011.

Speaking on the theme: “Improving the legal and regulatory framework to maximise benefits from our petroleum resources,” Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye demanded that the government dismantle the opacity surrounding the oil and gas benefits.

“We have celebrated the 100th million barrel of oil, how much did our government or the nation get and where is the money?”