By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
… as monitoring group
faults Jonathan, minister on local content, PIB
Delta State Government has
given Pan Ocean Oil Corporation up till May 10, 2013, to pay compensation to
Abavo community for drilling oil in their land.
Traditional ruler of Abavo
Kingdom in Ika South Local Government Area of the state, Obi Uche Irenuma II,
made the disclosure at a tripartite meeting with the state government, Abavo
community and the oil company.
The meeting took place at
the deputy governor’s office in Asaba.
The monarch, noted that the
deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, who presided over the meeting, also advised
the oil company to respect and abide by the Memorandum of Understanding, MOU,
reached with Abavo community to avoid crisis.
On the controversial flow
station being proposed for Owa-Alidima, he said the state government and
security agencies had asked the oil company to stay action on the issue as it
involves OPL 275 until a meeting between the state government, the oil company
and Abavo community was held.
Irenuma 11 expressed
happiness at the outcome of the meeting and commen-ded the state government for
wading into the crisis between the oil company and Abavo community, saying that
the flow station was paramount to Abavo community.
He maintained that Abavo
people were peace loving and as such would continue to promote the peace and
security agenda of the State government.
Meanwhile, President
Goodluck Jonathan and Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke have been
faulted by the Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change, NDIMRC, over
alleged total failure of the Nigerian Local Content, three years after it came
on stream.
The Nigerian Oil and Gas
Industry Content Development Act was signed into law by President Jonathan in
April 22, 2010 to enforce the growth of local capacity and promote indigenous
participation in the oil and gas industry.
However, the oil monitoring
group, NDIMRC, in a statement, yesterday, by its President, Nelly Emma;
Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Officer, Stanley Mukoro, lambasted
President Jonathan and Alison-Madueke, said: “We want to say that the Nigerian
Local Content is a total failure three years after the Act was signed into law
by President Goodluck.
“In April 22, 2010, when
the President signed the bill into law, we were excited. But three years on, we
cannot say that this is time for celebration.
“Multinational oil
companies are picking up all the juicy contracts, leaving southerners in
penury. Enough is enough. The President and the Petroleum Minister must go back
to the drawing board and find out why the Nigerian Local Content has failed.”
On the Petroleum Industry
Billl, PIB, the group said: “We have observed that some Nigerians are against
the passage of the bill because it is favourable to the Niger Delta people.
“It is worrisome that the
bill has not been passed six years after it was introduced.”
in the National Assembly
and we are appealing to our lawmakers to accord the Bill the urgent attention
needed for its passage.”
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