Leader of Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Edwin Clark, has described the newly passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), ready for harmonization as satanic, unjust, embarrassing, and has dashed the hope of the people of the Niger Delta.
Clark, who is also leader of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), condemned the provision and allocation of 30% of profits for further frontier oil exploration in the north and that it was fraudulently added.
Clark who was represented at a press conference in Abuja by PANDEF’s National Publicity Secretary, Ken Robinson, declared that the region has had enough of the colonial oppression and will be resisting it.
The two chambers of the National Assembly last week Thursday passed the PIB, after about 13 years of legislative fireworks.
The bill was first sent to the National Assembly in 2008 by President Umaru Yar’Adua, now deceased, without translating into an Act.
The PIB, 2020 seeks to introduce far-reaching reforms in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
Clark, in an open letter addressed to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila condemned the provision and allocation of 30% of profits for further frontier oil exploration in the north, stressing that the PIB passed does not reflect the long clamour by the people of region for equity, fairness and justice.
He demanded that the bill as passed be reversed else the Niger Delta will take their destinies in their hands and deny International Oil Companies (IOCs), entry into the region.
According to the elder statesman, the entire people of the Niger Delta region, for and on behalf of the host communities, vehemently reject the 3% and 5% of operating expenditure granted to the host communities; the fraudulent and provocative 30% provision for the frontier exploration fund.
He said: “Given the depth of ingratitude expressed and delivered after decades of exploitation and neglect of the region, the entire people of the Niger Delta region, for and on behalf of the host communities, vehemently reject the following aspects of the bill:
“The 3% and 5% of Operating Expenditure granted to the Host Communities;
The fraudulent and provocative 30% provision for the Frontier Exploration Fund.
“And now demand: The PIB must be reversed, reviewed and amended to ensure that the Oil-Bearing Communities must now receive not less than 10% of Operating Cost.
“If this is not done, the Niger Delta people may be forced to take their destiny into their own hands and all IOCs may find themselves denied access to their oil activities in such communities.”
Clark said people of the Niger Delta, at all levels both at home and abroad, have expressed their great displeasure over what he called satanic and obnoxious allocation of a paltry percentage of operating expenditure to oil producing communities by the national assembly.
“It is important to state clearly here to all well-meaning Nigerians that the demand of the oil bearing communities of the Niger Delta Region was for a minimum of 10% equity participation.
“But you Mr. Senate President, the Right Honourable Speaker and some of your colleagues in the National Assembly, have further shown your disdain to the Niger Delta people by redefining host communities to include pipeline-bearing pathway communities, in which case States where pipelines pass through to aid them with the privilege of cheap supplies of Niger Delta petroleum products could also be entitled to the ridiculous and unacceptable percentages that the legislators are willing to cede to oil-bearing Communities.
“We want to warn seriously, that the people of the Niger Delta have had enough of this colonial and oppressive mentality of our Northern brothers and friends. Today, the north controls the Oil Sector, even though day-to-day operations are being handled by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”
Sun
