TheHILL. Posted by Solomon Usei.
Governors of the South-South States have demanded an upward assessment of the provision of 2.5 percentage as Host Community Trust Fund in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to 10 percent in the quality pastime of oil communities and the nation, reports TheHILL.
The governors have also cautioned President Mohammadu Buhari that in the absence of the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), dollars for the fee past the payment of salaries be put in an escrow account until he constitutes the board.
Chairman of the South-South Governors Forum and Governor of Delta State , Senator Ifeanyi Okowa made this declaration at the quit of the forum’s assembly which held at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Monday night.
“We took up the problem of the PIB, the Petroleum Industry Bill which is already earlier than the House and having in contrast notes with ourselves, we are of the view that while we welcome the Host Community Trust Fund, we do accept as true with that the 2.5 percentage that is appropriated in that bill for the purpose of host neighborhood fund is inadequate.
“We have discussed with our people and mutually as leaders of the humans in our more than a few States and as leaders standing in on behalf of our people, we urge that the National Assembly have to increase the provision in the host community fund from 2.5 percent to 10 percentage in the fine pastime of our communities, in the nice interest of our nation.”
The governors maintained that the communities have a position to play in the surveillance of the nation’s oil amenities and pipeline network.
They expressed the faith that if the communities sense comfortable with provision of money for them in the PIB, they are extra probable going to be watchdog on behalf of the federal government, the States and oil companies.
“And the peaceful surroundings that would be considered in the various oil communities would enable us to have higher production and a seamless manufacturing in which we do now not have any structure disruption in our oil productions going into the future.”
Governor Okowa described as worrisome the walking of the NDDC in over a 12 months by means of an Interim Caretaker Committee, and now, an period in-between administrator.
According to him, this situation does now not augur nicely for the humans of the Niger Delta as possibility for all States to be represented as they ought to be represented in the board of the NDDC does no longer exist
“ So, it ability that the NDDC is honestly run in such a be counted that it is truly not genuinely beneficial to our people, because there is no stakeholders enter in the going for walks of the affairs of the NDDC.
We do understand that there is a forensic audit taking location and if that motive the board has now not been constituted, our advocate is that monies being sent to the NDDC need to be put in an escrow account until a board is constituted and then suited processes are accompanied in the expenditure of the money in a such a way it will be visibly responsible in the high-quality activity of the peoples of the Niger Delta.”
The governors demanded that on every occasion the board of the NDDC is constituted, the advisory council need to be referred to as upon to location its function to make sure there is take a look at and stability in such a be counted that the States will absolutely have value for money expended by way of the NDDC.
“A state of affairs where we commence to have emergency tasks that per chance will now not closing three to six months is no longer right, we don’t experience completely satisfied about it and we are urging Mr President to ensure that if the board is no longer going to be right now constituted, then funds for the NDDC beyond the price of salaries have to be put on keep till he constitutes the board and the board can now run the finances of the NDDC as per the regulation developing the NDDC.
“We sense already quick modified as a human beings in the Niger Delta and we consider that we do not desire to see this kind of state of affairs continue going forward into the future ,because our people experience the pains, we do not desire a scenario the place there is an abuse of processes, neither should we have a scenario the place we have abuse of funds.
“We agree with that it is nice for both the country, for the states of the Niger Delta and for the human beings of the Niger Delta when the due system is followed with the aid of the reconstitution of the board and also in reconstituting the board, that the reconstituted cash have to come in and have funds to spend as per the law.”
He careworn that the needs of the governors have been made primarily based on the interest of Nigeria, the States and extra importantly in the hobby of a range of communities of the Niger Delta.
Present at the meeting had been Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike; the Governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki; Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri and the Deputy Governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Mr Moses Ekpo, who represented Governor Udom Emmanuel.
