PIA Criminalises Local Population, Says Environmentalist

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

A renowned environmentalist and Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Nnimmo Bassey, has advised the international oil companies to be honest in their transition as they divest in the Niger Delta region.

This as Bassey has said that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) criminalises the local population through some alleged obnoxious sections that automatically exonerate the IOCs from liability in the event of pipeline vandalism, civil disturbance.

He stated that the PIA does not serve the interest of the host communities, stressing that it is “completely an oil Company bill,” he said. Bassey made the assertion yesterday, at a Community Training on the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and Divestment hosted organised by HOMEF in Port Harcourt.

Bassey, disclosed that it is an insult for IOCs to divest after destroying the Niger Delta environment for over 60 years without having an honest discussion with the communities.

He said: “Concerning the PIA, there are many areas of concern. That bill completely sounds like an oil company bill. Not an Act for the Nigerian people because the structure set up to provide funds for the communities is talking about 3 percent operational cost of oil companies’ income that is not in the public knowledge.

“The oil companies have an overbearing presence in the Act. They determine those who have executive powers in the structure of how those who take care of the resources utilize them.

“The PIA criminalises local population. By saying that if anything happens to the oil facilities, if it is an oil spill done by third party interferences, if there are any civil disturbances, whatever it cost to repair that will be taken off the three  per cent resources meant for the host communities.

“Now, we do know that oil theft is not carried out by poor people but by people who have the power to do such things. This is the time for the federal government to wake up and ensure that the Niger Delta is cleaned up.

Bassey further called on the federal government to defend the people of the region by insisting that IOCs be held accountable for the damage they have done to the Niger Delta environment.

He also revealed that the companies are leaving onshore oil fields and are moving deeper offshore to where they will have less oversight and regulation.

“We are calling on the government to defend our people and to insist that these companies cannot move away without being held accountable for the damage they have done to the Niger Delta environment and the health of our people.

“What they did in the past is what they are currently doing. They can not just wash their hands off because they are handing over to local companies who are just as bad as them. The companies are leaving onshore oil fields and are moving deeper offshore to where they will have less oversight and regulation. This is another way of avoiding accountability.”

The environmentalist, however, urged communities to rise and demand that oil companies be held to account for historical and present harms inflicted on the Niger Delta environment and the people.

He further urged the communities to demand “that they decommission their rotten installations, pay for health and ecological audits, and equal pay for the clean-up and remediation of the entire region.”