NIGER Delta community leaders have told President Muhammadu Buhari that they want inclusive participation in oil industry and ownership of oil blocs for peace to return to the region.
Yesterday, a host of leaders from the region met with President Buhari at the presidential villa in Abuja under the aegis of the Pan Niger Delta Forum. During the meeting, they attributed the renewed militancy in the region to what they called alienation and lack of meaningful development of the region.
They said they had consulted widely and had come up with 16 points that could help the federal government achieve its quick wins initiative. At the occasion, the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass in Bayelsa State, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, presented the requests to President Buhari.
Among those present at the meeting were five state governors, traditional rulers and other stakeholders from the region. In a 10-page document presented to the president, the Niger Delta leaders called for inclusive participation in oil industry and ownership of oil blocs and for what they called host community content within the Nigerian content framework across the entire enterprise chain of the petroleum and maritime sectors.
King Alfred Diete-Spiff said: “The sense of alienation of Niger Delta indigenes from the resources of their land will continue until there are affirmative actions that guarantee the involvement of these communities in the ownership and participation in the oil and gas industry. We therefore urge the federal government to enunciate policies and actions that will address the lack of participation as well as imbalance in the ownership of oil and gas assets.”
He also called for the awards of pipeline protection contracts to communities and not individuals. In doing that, he said communities would begin to see the pipelines as belonging to them and they would protect them adequately.
“The incessant breaching and vandalisation of pipelines and oil theft have taken direct tolls on oil production and supplies with corresponding adverse effects on the economy of our country. Pipeline vandalism also damages the environment, health and economic activity of inhabitants of affected areas, as well as complicates environmental cleanup efforts.
“It is therefore our view that an urgent review be done to pipeline surveillance contracts to give the responsibility to communities rather than individuals in a manner that ties some benefits to their responsibility. Communities would then see their responsibility over the pipelines as protection of what belongs to them,” King Alfred Diete-Spiff added.
In addition, the stakeholders also called for the relocation of administrative and operational headquarters of international oil companies to the region. Furthermore, they called for the de-militarisation of communities in the region.
Comments
Post a Comment