Will the Petroleum Industry Bill ever see the light of day?
The PIB had always been in the front burner. I was opportune to be a member of the Petroleum Committee (Upstream) in 2007-2011 and I was a member of the committee that was set up to look into the bill. We worked very seriously and we got to a point where we started considering it on clause by clause basis. Unfortunately, it was aborted because our time ran out.
Then in the next assembly, I was also a member of the Petroleum Committee from 2011 to 2015. We did creditably well; we did anything that needed to be done. I was the only returning member of the committee to handle the PIB so I was in the driving seat. We did a lot; all consideration of the bill and harmonized all considerations and came out with the report and it was presented to the House. Sadly again, we started and finished the consideration almost on the day the House was winding down, which was about the same thing that happened in the 6th Assembly, but in the 7th we actually did complete it, but almost the same day we were winding down the House. It became like it was jinxed.
The issue is that the bill needs to concur with the progress in the Senate, but the Senate couldn’t get to the extent which we got to. The PIB was passed by the House (7th Assembly) now we have to wait for the Senate to conclude because we definitely have two different versions and we have to come back again to gavel-to-gavel table where we need to harmonize the two positions. After harmonization, it doesn’t take anything more again, we merely need to adopt and it goes and become law.
However, because we have a new government in place, we may have the government of the day coming up with some input, fresh ideas, which ‘may’ affect us. But I think it is one issue we need to take up. I promise I will be one of those that will bring it up as soon as possible.
How has the non-passage of the PIB affected the oil bearing communities and the oil sector?
I will take that of the communities first. The bill is for the entire country; it is to reform and allow our oil companies to run in line with best practices all over the world. It is not an oil producing environment bill; this is where we get it wrong and this is where the wrong perception that the bill is fashioned towards supporting the oil producing states or region. A law made by the National Assembly is never sectional. Don’t forget that oil could also be found in the north or any other part of the country today and the bill covers it; if it goes to the Southwest, Southeast or any other part, it is the same thing. So, the laws are not for the South-south or the oil producing communities; it is not for the Warri Federal Constituency because they have oil, it is a law that is meant to govern in the acceptable best practices all over the world. I don’t want people to see it as a law that is made for particular section of the country because that is where we sometimes have challenges with our brothers and members from other parts of the country.
In terms of how the bill would have helped the oil producing communities: I have looked at the bill, apart from the aspect of the environmental issues and host communities fund, there is nothing fantastically to the benefit of the oil producing communities and states. Unfortunately for us too, the host communities fund aspect of it, which was to be a 10percent after-tax profit of the oil producing companies – it is not coming from the government. That again lost its value in so many ways. One thing people don’t seem to understand is that the 10percent is coming from the profit after tax of the multinationals and oil producing companies. That again lost its value because what was passed was that all parts of this country are host communities to oil. I find it very laughable to say that the entire country is host to oil. Yes, in terms of our federal law, it says all resources etc belongs to the country. But then do not forget that there is a derivation principle and definition. If you drill deeply, like they do when drilling for oil, into the meaning of derivation, you will find out that the entire country cannot be host communities because there is a point from where that oil is derived. It is that point and adjoining environment that is mostly affected by the oil activities.
As such, what I suffer as somebody sitting right now in Warri talking to you in terms of the adverse effects of oil exploration and exploitation activities is not what a northern who is thousands of miles away from Warri would suffer from the impact of oil exploration. In terms of environmental damages too, what I suffer here may not be what other somebody in other parts of the country like South-west or South-east or North would suffer. I suffer more. What we are going through in Warri as we speak is something we need to evaluate and take measure to actually put to rest, if not, this is going to be very dangerous to the generations yet unborn.
But that is how it was passed and that is how it is with parliament; we have a loud minority, but the majority would have their way. The law has been passed that way and even if it is not right, we said, ‘let’s not throwaway the baby and the bathwater.’ That is for some of us who are against the principle of having the entire country as host community. We cannot say just because of that alone, let us throw away a bill of more than a thousand clauses. We would come by way of amendments to some aspects of this bill sometimes in future. That is if it is eventually passed and if it will ever be passed.
How do you think these various intervention agencies (DESOPADEC, NDDC and others) can have more impact in the lives of the people for which they are set up?
The people have to demand for adequate attention by way of agitation. This does not mean that they have to be violent or a call to take up arms. Agitations are in various forms: There is the peaceful violence, intellectual approach to agitation and finally, the violence, which I will not subscribe to, because I don’t want lives lost, I prefer the other two.
What you should know is that a northerner is not on the management board of NDDC; they are all people from the Niger Delta, who know what the issues are with these areas. They must have lived here and people that lived here before their appointments as members of the management team. So, they know. The people should demand their rights from these people.
What is the state of the Koko-Ogheye road project?
The road construction is ongoing. It might be slow, but work is going on there. As we speak, we have accomplished about 6km and we are getting close to the first critical aspect of the job, which is the bridge over the Ologbo River. There is progress towards sand filling to the river. By the time we get to the other side, I think we would have completed close to 15km to the Ologbo Bridge. The bridge is a very massive one, which is the next most critical stage of the bridge. There is something I would say and I have suggested it to people; the road should be divided into sections as it is with the East-West highway for quicker accomplishment. It should be for two or three construction companies: one at the beginning, another at the middle and finally one working from the Ogheye end of the project. That would have gone a long way to expedite action on the road. But because we have one contractor and issues of funding is also a major problem; funds are not readily available to all the mega projects around the Niger Delta. Irrespective of these challenges, the project is ongoing, although as I said before, maybe not so satisfied with the pace.
That road is one of my dreams and I often asked myself if I have to leave office without the completion of more than 50percent of that project. I ask myself: Would somebody who is taking over from me have the same passion for it as I have? That road is very important and I will tell you why. I have looked at developmental strategies in terms of infrastructure, housing. roads, lights and others and I chose road as one of the most important and primary fundamental process to development.
Why do I say this? It may be difficult for an ordinary man to put a motorable road into the thick of the forest, but once that road is built, people would start moving in there and they would build their own houses. That is what you are seeing in the Koko-Ogheye road, for the first 6km that we have accomplished, go to the entire area it is been bought up; people are building, tank farms are springing up and they are growing on a daily basis. That is just within two years and the place is opened up completely.
I want to use this is a forum to advise our governors that what you need to do for the people is to give them infrastructure in some of these areas. What are these infrastructure? A few of them – road with good drainages, light etc – and you will see the people moving in with their funds to build. There are some instances where I don’t think the Federal Government should be engaged in some of these other ventures like building of houses and others. The people want to build their houses to their tastes but give them the necessary facilities for the people to move in.
