N’Delta: N’Assembly, PIND, Others Seek Operationalisation of PIA

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Chairman, Host Communities Committee at the House of Representatives, Dumnamene Deekor, has called for the operationalisation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to ensure development and lasting peace in Niger Delta region.

This came as the Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND) has embarked on stakeholders’ dialogue aimed at building and creating wider awareness for the speedy implementation of the PIA.

Speaking at an event titled “Bridges Project: Host Community Development Trust (HCDTs) dialogue and experience sharing forum”, organised by PIND in collaboration with Ford Foundation, in Port Harcourt, Deekor noted that the operationalisation of the PIA is slow.

Deekor, who is representing Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency at the House of Reps, urged impacted communities to take advantage of the opportunity as provided in the PIA to develop their areas.  

Speaking to journalists at the venue of the programme, Deekor said: “The operationalisation  of the PIA is very slow. With a lot more of awareness, getting the people to understand what it is, then we will get better”.

He added: “Companies need to up their game. NUPRC is doing well. We believe they will do better. Once the companies are able to live up to their expectations and some of the communities need also to move very fast because we are saying this Development Trust must be put in place. But we found out in some communities they are not ready because of the issues of leadership.”

Deekor explained “We are the committee that is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that there is implementation of the  three  per cent funds as provided in the act which all companies must comply. When we say the PIA should be operational, it means it should be brought out of that law and on the ground so that everybody will see it. We want to see development.” 

Also in an interview with journalists, the Executive Director of PIND, Mr Tunji Idowu, said after 15 years  of engagement with government, civil societies and private sectors, the foundation was able to achieve proven development models in Niger Delta, ensuring peace and stability in the region.

According to Idowu “We came up with the Bridges project to bring partners and stakeholders together from the public and Private sectors to begin to look at how people will work and implement the PIA. 

“As has been said today, this is the pioneer collaborative platform for discussion to fill those gaps, create awareness, build capacity so that community dwellers can take up their destiny in their hands and regulators can be aware of issues and concerns and people can partner together.” 

On some of the challenges in achieving the implementation of the PIA, Idowu stressed:”Lack of awareness is the first challenge that was with evidence. Understanding of what the Petroleum Industry Act is all about community dwellers unlike the oil and gas companies, legislators or regulator, didn’t pay attention. They didn’t follow 20 years of the bill to understand what it was. At the time some of them tried, there were multiple version, they could not  separate the fake from the truth.”

Programme Officer, National Resource in Climate Change and Ford Foundation, Emmanuel Kuyole, in his remarks, explained how the organisation supported the functionality of PIA.

Kuyole said: “We supported the work around the PIA and we are presently interested on the Chapter 3 which deals with Host Communities Development Trust Fund. Our interest has been to work with partners like PIND to ensure that the HCDT don’t remain on paper but actually established and operationalise so that development can get to the communities whose lives and livelihoods are impacted by the extraction of oil and gas.” 

On his part, Chairman, Multi-Stakeholder Platform under the Bridges Project, Prof.  Femi Ajibola, expressed joy seeing the enthusiasm on the part of the HCDTs that were part of the platform.

“I see a  willingness for them to learn. It has been an opportunity to really understand the PIA and their role in the PIA. We have also had an opportunity to cross fertilization of ideas in terms of how to implement the PIA.

“There is a recognition that this is an  opportunity for real development to take place in the Niger Delta the resources are available but the attitude have to be right. I really think that we need to make an effort to get our people to understand what the PIA is all about. We need to understand the modalities of implementing it, what are the different roles,” Prof Ajibola added.