VANGUARD

Ijaw youths, under the aegis of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC, have described the allocation of three and five percents, respectively as an equity stake in the Host Community Trust Fund by the Senate and House of Representatives in the just-passed controversial Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, as rape of justice for Niger Delta oil host communities.

On their part, Itsekiri youths condemned the three and five percent equity share for the oil communities, describing it as a slap on the face of oil communities in the Niger Delta region.

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in Delta State, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, described the PIB as a coup against Niger Delta host communities.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, has expressed optimism that the PIB would open up the petroleum sector for greater investments and guarantee more transparency in operations when passed into law.

IYC in a statement by its spokesperson, Ebilade Ekerefe, said: “It is a rape of justice for host communities to be allocated three per cent by the Senate and five per cent by the House of Representatives as against the unanimous 10 per ent agreement by stakeholders of the region when he National Assembly met with the Niger Delta people.

“The untold injustice and action of the Senate are already agitating the minds of the Ijaw youths and this is capable of threatening the already fragile peace in the region.

“The Federal Government should realise that an interrupted oil flow in the Niger Delta is capable of stopping the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, from selling the crude and getting the 30 per cent to fund frontier explorations.”

It’s a slap on the face of oil communities —Itsekiri

Immediate past President, Itsekiri National Youth Council, INYC, Esimaje Awani, who spoke in Warri, Delta State said: “This PIB is not only a slap on the people of Niger Delta but the most barbaric act ever exhibited by human beings since the creation of this earth.

“How do you give the owner three percent and you are giving 30 per cent for exploration. As a youth leader in Niger Delta and the immediate past President of INYC, I condemn the bill in totality. If this is what they could come up with after all these years, then it would have been better they didn’t come up with anything.”

It’s coup against host communities —Onuesoke

Onuesoke, who addressed journalists in his office in Warri, Delta State, yesterday, said: “The content of the PIB is a ploy to further rob the south that produces the oil and pay the north that doesn’t produce a single drop of oil.

“It is worrisome that the Senate cut down compensations payment for host communities from five percent to three percent against the cries of southern senators and redefined host community to mean any community that oil pipeline passes through.

“The National Assembly came up with a fraudulent jargon called ‘Frontier Exploration’ for which they have earmarked 30 per cent of NNPC profits for the servicing of these frontier explorations yearly.

“By implication, host communities will now imply all states that don’t produce oil but have oil pipeline passing through them, which automatically makes some northern states that don’t produce oil to become host communities and henceforth will benefit from compensations.

“The host communities deserved fair treatment as it had suffered long years of environmental pollution and injustice despite producing the wealth that had sustained the health of Nigeria.”

PIB’ll ensure transparency, foster devt —Sylva

Sylva, when the Board of Trustees of Corruption Reporters led by Dr Yunusa Tanko honoured him as the Champion of the Anti-Corruption fight, for his leadership in promoting transparency in the industry, said: “The PIB, which as you know is before the National Assembly and we are hoping that the law when passed, will allow us to entrench the principles of transparency in our industry and will allow this industry to move from where it is, also like the country, to where we desire it to be.

“I am particularly honoured by this award. I commend the Corruption Reporters for checking the records from afar and encouraging me in the fight against corruption.

“I received a boost from President Muhammadu Buhari’s leadership through initiatives such as the Treasury Single Account, TSA.

“That policy has arrested corruption impeding the direct flow of resources to the nation’s coffers. For instance, before the coming of the current administration, you will see a small organisation with over 90 accounts opened for the deposit of revenues.”

PIB’ll attract investment — OPEC

Meanwhile, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, yesterday, disclosed that the PIB would go a long way to strengthening institutions, solidifying regulatory, and fiscal frameworks as well as attracting new investments to the nation.

In his virtual presentation at the ongoing Nigeria Oil Gas Conference, NOG, in Abuja, Mohammad Barkindo, Secretary-General, OPEC, said: “This long-awaited legislation for the oil and gas sector will help guide the necessary reforms designed to strengthen institutions, solidify regulatory and fiscal frameworks and attract much-needed investment in a sustainable manner. The 9th National Assembly has engraved itself in gold in passing the Petroleum Industry Bill.

“This long-awaited legislation for the oil and gas sector will help guide the necessary reforms designed to strengthen institutions, solidify regulatory and fiscal frameworks and attract much-needed investment in a sustainable manner. The 9th National Assembly has engraved itself in gold in passing the Petroleum Industry Bill.”