Daily Independent (Lagos)
Bassey Udo And Adeola Yusuf
5 November 2008
Lagos — Multinationals operating on the oil rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria still owe their host communities $100 million (about N 11.8 billion) compensation, an action which might prolong the crises rocking the region.
Former Minister of Information and Chief Spokesman for the Niger Delta, Chief Edwin Clarke who disclosed this on Tuesday at the Plenary session of the ongoing Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)'s 13th Health Safety and Environment (HSE) Biennial International conference on the oil and gas industry in Abuja, maintained that the oil companies operating in the upstream sector of the nation's oil and gas industry should promptly pay the debt.
The unpaid compensations, according to Clark were fallout from about 14,000 cases on environmental degradation instituted against oil companies by host communities.
The leader of Ijaw people declared that unless the oil companies compensate the people in the Niger Delta, there would not be peace in the region because of the effect of environmental degradation to the environment.
"As I'm talking to you now, there are about 14,000 cases on environmental degradation brought by various host communities against the major oil companies worth about $100 million. And they don't want to pay. They will make sure their lawyers goes to court to frustrate the host communities agitation," he said.
Asides this, the former Information Minister lamented the continuous flaring of gas by the oil companies in the Niger Delta, adding that the issue of gas flaring in the country was political "because the government is not ready to end gas flaring."
The government, he continued, "is not interested in ending gas flaring. It is only because of the climate change that affected the whole world. Gas flaring in Nigeria is one of the highest in the oil communities in the whole world.
"The Federal Government said in 2008, gas flaring would come to an end. But when I was delivering a similar lecture some years ago, I said yes, every government has a date for ending gas flaring. We are now hearing about 2014. Perhaps, the foremost 2020 would be the year gas flaring would end."
Chiding the federal government move for spending N400 billion on security in the Niger Delta, Clark pointed out that the influx of soldiers in the areas have caused more havoc to the people. He added, "This move would not bring about succor to the region."
He however eulogized the creation of the Niger Delta Ministry, appealing to the government to allocate three to five per cent of the Nation's revenue earnings to run the ministry, adding that this is the only way the creation of the ministry would be vibrant.
The Ijaws leader said for peace to reign in the region, there was a need for the government to persuade Major oil companies operating in the country to honour the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the host communities, removal of the soldiers in the region, and for the youths to shift their orientations towards the redevelopment of the Niger Delta.
The federal government, he continued, should empower the State to create their local governments and fund them adequately.
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