Some stakeholders in the oil producing communities in Delta have asserted that effective implementation of the three per cent of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 would accelerate repositioning of the communities for national development.
The stakeholders made the assertion on Tuesday at a stakeholders interactive session on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 with theme as: “What Is In It for Community and the Economy?”.
The traditional leader of Okpe Community, the Orodje of Okpe, HRH Felix Mujakperuo, said that the three per cent was not tangible.
“The PIA is here, we must now put our efforts toward its effective implementation.
“We need to maximise our three per cent as the world transits to cleaner sources of energy,” he said.
HRH Isaac Obi, the Odu-osa of Utagba-Ogbe in Ndokwa West LGA of Delta, said that the percentage earmarked for oil-producing communities was small owing to the negative impact of oil exploration in those communities.
Representing his HRH, the High Chief of Uteagba-Ogbe, Ejechi Dennis, said that the three percent share was not just to the oil-producing communities, considering the “level of multi-dimensional poverty and degradation” in the communities.
Also, the Omu Anioma, HRM Obi Martha Dunkwu, argued that for any meaningful understanding to be established between the people of the oil bearing communities and government, National Orientation Agency (NOA) must play its role.
“Its role of educating and sensitising the people on the `nitty gritty’ of the law.
“The people are still agitated even after the passage of the PIA; government should earnestly engage the people through the instrumentality of NOA as a body saddled with such responsibility of managing crisis.
“They should explain the perspectives and educate the citizenry on policies and programmes of government.
“I can tell you authoritatively as a traditionalist living amongst the people that the issue of the three per cent allocation to host communities has not been put to rest.
“The NOA has enormous task ahead of it, to educate the people more about the Act and make them to understand their rights, benefits and obligations in the Act.
“You must have to produce Jingles in local languages and pidgin and broadcast in all the states of the federation, especially using the radio to pass the message for wider reach,” she said.
Contributing, the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Gabriel Abari, said that the aim of the interactive session was for NOA to enlighten the host communities to leverage the PIA.
Mr Gogo Iyayi, Director of NOA, Bayelsa, who represented Abari, said the essence of the interactive session was to encourage the HostComms to form Board of Trustees as indicated by the law to manage the three per cent fund.
“In line with approving the appointments of a Management Board and Advisory Board to handle different things, especially projects for such funds,” he said.
Also, Mr Auwal Musa, Executive Director of Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), said their interest was on what the people stood to gain in the PIA.
“If conversations are not opened up, the oil companies may take advantage of the situation,” he said.
The Program Coordinator of OXFAM, Mr Henry Ushie, highlighted that it had become pertinent to get the HostComms to collaborate with oil companies within their spaces to create needed structures for effective take off of the three per cent regime.
“OXFAM is pushing for 10 per cent of that three per cent to be used to address the issues of women,” Ushie said.
