Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Duoye Diri and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri have lamented the inability of host communities of oil companies and facilities to access funds for the development of communities through the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), describing the Act as “a time bomb” that could trigger fresh crisis in the Niger Delta.
Speaking separately at the triple celebrations of a book launch, 60th birthday and 25th marriage anniversary of the chairman of Bayelsa State Council of Traditional Rulers, King Bubaraye Dakolo in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, both officials bemoaned the hurdles which communities face accessing funds as host communities of oil companies and facilities.
Governor Diri said the only way to resolve conflicts in the Niger Delta oil-producing communities was for the federal government to take a fresh look at the PIA.
The governor spoke in reaction to a comment by the Minister of State for Petroleum (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, who said litigations in host communities had made it impossible for them to access monies in the Petroleum Industry Trust Fund meant for their development.
Governor Diri revealed that when the PIA was a bill during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, the state had argued in a presentation it made that excluding the oil-producing states and local councils from administration of host communities, as provided in the then bill, would result in crisis.
He said, “The PIA, as it was designed, is a time bomb because the Federal Government cut off states and local government councils to deal directly with communities. It is my submission that the percentage due to oil companies, conspiratorially reduced from 10 per cent to 3 per cent be reviewed.
“I also call on the Federal Government to immediately review the aspect where states and local government were excluded from administering what is due to the communities.
“The states and councils are closer to the communities and it was wrong to have excluded them from the administration of these communities. The current situation is a recipe for crisis and I urge President Bola Tinubu to review it.”
While congratulating Dakolo, who is the Ibenanaowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, on the launch of his books, “The Pirates of the Gulf” and “The Kingfisher,” Diri described the monarch as a rare king, and urged the younger generation to see him as a role model.
He also described Dakolo as a literary giant, who took up the challenge after his ordeal at the Nigerian Defence Academy to fight injustice in the Niger Delta, emphasising that he has made positive impact on the Ijaw nation and the country as a whole.
Governor Diri launched the books with the sum of N100 million on behalf of the state government, and further directed the Ministry of Education to adopt “The Kingfisher” as part of the state’s secondary school curriculum.
“King Dakolo has served Bayelsa and Ijaw nation. Dakolo and l had been together in the Ijaw struggle. He is sound and very intelligent. He is a literary giant and l urge our youths of the ljaw nation to see him as their role model.”
In his remarks, Lokpobiri, who was chairman at the occasion described Dakolo as a man of many parts and a visionary leader and congratulated him on the various feats attained.
He lauded the monarch for his advocacy for a better deal for the Niger Delta people through his literary works, and equally called on operators of illegal refineries to desist from their activities as these contribute to the degradation of the environment.
Lokpobiri also bemoaned oil communities’ inability to access the trust fund for their development as a result of the crisis and litigations emanating from them.
The chief launcher and Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, equally commended Dakolo for documenting his experience, which he said would create more enlightenment about the struggles of the Niger Delta.
Ogbuku, who said the commission would buy as many copies of the two and distribute to schools in the region, expressed optimism that the gesture would help to promote education.
“The Pirates of the Gulf” was reviewed by Dr. Ebidenyefa Nikade, while Air Vice Marshal Kurotimi Obidake, representative of Major General Solomon Udounwa, reviewed the “Kingfisher”
