FORMER Delta State PDP Gubernatorial Aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has described the allocation of three and five per cents, equity stake in the just-passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), by the Senate and House of Representatives, as a slap on the host communities in the Niger Delta region.
The PIB Bill, had allocated 5% to host community clause, 30% of profit on oil for frontier explorations and three per cent stake to host communities.
However, Onuesoke, who addressed journalists in his office in Warri, Delta State, , said: “The content of the PIB is a ploy to further rob the south that produces the oil and pay the north that is not.
“It is worrisome that the Senate cut down compensations payment for host communities from five percent to three percent against the cries of southern senators and redefined host community to mean any community that oil pipeline passes through.
“The National Assembly came up with a fraudulent jargon called ‘Frontier Exploration’ for which they have earmarked 30 per cent of NNPC profits for the servicing of these frontier explorations yearly.
“By implication, host communities will now imply all states that don’t produce oil but have oil pipeline passing through them, which automatically makes some northern states that don’t produce oil to become host communities and henceforth will benefit from compensations.
“The host communities deserved fair treatment as it had suffered long years of environmental pollution and injustice despite producing the wealth that had sustained the health of Nigeria.” He added.
