- Lauds NASS, Omo-Agege for sustained effort
- Requests President to also order release of 13% to host communities
- Calls on FG not to allow 3% host communities fund go through state govts
Founding father of Host Communities of Nigeria (Oil and Gas), HOSCON, Chief Wellington Okirika, has expressed gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari for swiftly assenting to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), to become an Act after several hiccups in the past years.
The former Managing Director of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, (DESOPADEC) also commended the efforts of the National Assembly, especially, the sustained effort of the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege for the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill and the eventual assent to same by the President.
Fielding questions from The New Diplomat shortly after President Buhari assented to the PIB on Monday August 16, 2021, Okirika recalled that shortly after the EndSars nationwide protest of October, 2020, he led a delegation of executive of HOSCON, including the National Chairman, Dr. Mike Emuh, and a patron of the body, HRM King Diette Spiff, among others, on a courtesy visit to the Deputy President of the Senate, Omo-Agege in Abuja.
According to him, they approached the DSP to request his cooperation and push for direct payment of 13% derivation fund to the host communities of oil and gas; direct payment of 10% operating costs of oil producing companies to the host communities; direct payment of gas flare fund to host communities as well as award of pipeline surveillance jobs to the communities.
According to the High Chief of Gbaramtu kingdom, Senator Omo-Agege who was very pleased with their presentation, assured the delegation of his commitment to approach relevant government agencies and authorities to press for the realization of their demands, adding that with the recent assent of the PIB into an Act by President Buhari, HOSCON feels fufilled and remains grateful to the President, Omo-Agege and the entire National Assembly.
He said: “After the Endsars protest in 2020, l led Hoscon delegation of National Chairman, Dr. Mike Emu and BOT Chairman HRM King Alfred Diette Spiff and other leaders to meet with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the Deputy Senate President about the continued demands of HOSCON for direct payment of 13 percent Derivation Fund to oil and gas producing communities, payment of 10 percent of operating costs of oil producing companies direct payment of gas flare Fund to oil and gas producing communities and pipeline surveillance jobs.
“The Deputy Senate President was pleased with our presentation and decided to take up our demands with relevant Government Agencies and Authorities. Our demands became front issues in Print and electric media for public discourse. Today, due to the continued efforts of DSP and his contacts and the National Assembly, 3 percent of the operating costs of oil producing companies and gas flare Fund were approved for the oil and gas producing communities. Mr. President has just signed it into law today.
“First we give thanks to Almighty God for touching hearts of President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent to PIB Bill, DSP and NASS for putting to an end the long sufferings of oil and gas producing communities in this country.
“We want to put on record our appreciation and many thanks to the DSP, especially, for taking these demands of oil and gas producing communities to the front burner and relief.
While expressing deep appreciation for the signing of the PIB into an Act, Okirika pleaded with the President to go an extra mile to order the release of the 13% Derivation Fund which is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended, directly to the Oil and Gas producing communities.
“We are asking the President to go the extra mile to give the host communities the 13% derivation fund to manage. He should not continue to give our money to a third party to manage in our behalf. The federal government should not be giving it to the governors because this is our money. Today, it is has been shown and demonstrated that the host communities is an entity.
“We ought to collect and manage everything that belongs to us because we are legal entity – the 13% derivation, the 3% oil producing cost of international oil companies, the gas flare fund. But today, we are still the poorest of the poor because of this brazen denial by government of what legitimately belongs to us”, Okirika said.
Reacting to those who are suggesting to the federal government to release the 3% operating cost of oil companies in the PIA to the host communities through the State government allegedly to avert violence, Okirika stated that there are hundreds of management experts, lawyers, doctors and other professionals among the communities who have the proficiency and requisite qualifications to manage the fund that are accruable to the people both from the 3% production oil cost and 13% derivation fund.
“Among the host communities, there are lawyers, there are doctors and other professionals who could manage the 3% for host communities. What are they talking about? Who say we cannot manage our money? We did it successfully in the days of OMPADEC and there were no communal crises. The several infrastructures put in place in various communities during the period of OMPADEC are still there for all to see.
“It is those who want our money to be given to people who are not from oil producing communities that are agitating that the 3% should pass through the state government but we are saying that is not acceptable to us.
“The federal government should set up a Presidential Monitoring Committee to monitor how the funds should be applied and State Implementation Committees to execute the various projects in the host communities. And I can assure the government that there will be peace, progress and accelerated development in the Niger Delta region.
“We did it with OMPADEC with concomitant huge success and we can also do it again with the 3% production oil cost in the PIA as well as with the 13% derivation fund when it is released directly to the host communities.”
