New Telegraph

PIA’s anti-Niger Delta – Dakolo

 

Pauline Onyibe,Yenagoa

The Chairman of Traditional Rulers Council Bayelsa State, King Bubaraye Dakolo has advised the host communities in the Niger Delta region to kick against the portion of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which says that any oil disruption that takes place in their domain will be counted for them as loss to their 3% yearly funds that will come to them from the oil companies operating there.

King Dakolo, who is the Ibenanaowei IV of Ekpetiama kingdom, argued that PIA was not actually meant to help the people of the Niger Delta region but instead that the act was meant to impoverish the people the more.

Speaking at the weekend in Yenagoa when a women group known as ‘Bayelsa Amazons Advocacy Campaign Group in conjunction with Global Care Rescue Mission led by Elizabeth Egbe, paid him a courtesy visit, King Dakolo told them to kick against the onboxoius act first before asking for 30% of the 3% that is supposed to come to the host community stating that if the act is allowed to be practised like that, the host communities may not even have any 3% to share.

The king said that the group’s campaign was laudable and noble but advised them that agitating for 3% from 30% of all the funds acrrued from oil may be shooting themselves on the foot adding that according to a document from Shell, women’s inclusion must be at least 30%.

He said: “I believe the PIA is an anti people’s act. It is aimed against the people of the Niger Delta, the oil producing people, against men, women and children of the oil producing communities. And that is why no oil industry actor is complaining. In fact they sponsored the bill.”

Earlier, the leader of the group, Egbe had said that group was there to ask for women’s inclusion in the community trust fund that will come on stream according to the PIA adding that more than 30% of money to be received from gas flaring penalties for the purposes of environmental remediation on and relief of host communities, as enshrined in the PIA, should consider, interest of women around host communities.

Read Previous

Grains: Two more ships depart from Ukraine – Turkey’s defence ministry

Read Next

EPL: Villa get off the mark with victory over Everton

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *