Yemie Adeoye
11 November 2008
THERE may be no end in sight yet to the crisis trailing the oil-rich Niger-Delta region unless the the sum of $100 million (about N11.8 billion) compensation owed host communities in the region by the oil companies operating in the upstream sector of the nation's oil and gas industry is promptly paid.
These were the words of former Minister of Information and Chief Spokesman for the Niger- Delta, Chief Edwin Clarke at the Plenary session of the recently held Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR)'s 13th Health Safety and Environment (HSE) Biennial International conference on the oil and gas industry in Abuja.
According to him, the unpaid compensations were fallout from about 14,000 cases on environmental degradation instituted against oil companies by host communities.
Clarke, an undisputed Ijaw leader said 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 go to court to frustrate the host communities' agitation," he said.
Besides, he lamented the continuous flaring of gas by the oil companies in the Niger- Delta, adding that the issue of gas flaring in the country is political because the government is not ready to end gas flaring.
He said, "The government 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.
He went on to berate the Federal Government's move to spend N400 billion on security in the Niger-Delta, adding that the influx of soldiers in the area has caused more havoc to the people, adding that this move would not bring about succour to the region.
Applauding the creation of the Niger-Delta Ministry, Clarke appealed to 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.
On the way forward, the Ijaw leader said for peace to reign in the Niger-Delta region, there is 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.
Also, the Federal Government should empower states to create their local governments and fund them adequately.
Besides, he carpeted the regime of the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for allowing the crisis in the Niger-Delta to go out of control, adding that had the former president listened and considered the recommendations its committee made on the way forward to the crisis in the Niger-Delta, the crisis would have been averted.
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