By Kenneth Udeh, Abuja
A group under the aegis of Niger Delta Community Youths Association, based in Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia, and Ondo States, has expressed strong objection to the recent allocation of oil bloc licenses by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to corporate entities and individuals who are not indigenes of the Niger Delta.
The group’s demand aligns with a petition addressed to the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, through Blessing Agbomhere Esq of Blessing Agbomhere and Partners, legal counsel to some aggrieved Niger Delta investors. They are demanding an immediate reversal of the 2022/23 mini bid round and 2024 licensing round for oil blocs in the Niger Delta region.
The Niger Delta Community Youths, who are leading protests in Yenagoa, Uyo, Benin, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Owerri, Umuahia, Akure, and Abuja, are calling for a fresh licensing bid that would ensure that 40% of Nigeria’s oil blocs are allocated to investors indigenous to the Niger Delta region, as stipulated in extant laws, including the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
According to a statement on Wednesday, jointly signed by the Youth Leader of the Association, Comrade Embale Jonathan; his deputy, Hon. Omeizah Ogumah; PRO, Boma Doreye; and Ex-Officio, Comrade Sunny Ifijen, it is unacceptable that their ancestral lands, ravaged and degraded by oil exploration, are being handed over to outsiders.
The group made three key demands:
Immediate review of the oil-prospecting licenses to reflect at least 40% allocation to indigenes of the Niger Delta.
Review commitment of oil bloc owners to environmental remediation of polluted waters and lands, and provide compensation to affected communities.
Enforce compliance with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations of licensed oil bloc owners, especially in employment, training programs, and support for local businesses in the region.
The group urged the Nigerian Senate and other relevant agencies to take their demands seriously and work towards a more equitable and just society for all Nigerians.
The statement partly read:
“The recent barefaced demeaning pattern of allocating oil-prospecting licenses to non-Niger Delta interests is an unacceptable, unjustifiable, and anti-developmental trend of a high-wired plot against the people of the Niger Delta.
“The action of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) is in deviance of the intent and spirit of the 2021 Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which recognises indigenous interests in the oil and gas industry. Such non-inclusion of indigenous interests signals exclusion and non-transparency, which will be counter-productive for the oil and gas industry and the entire nation.
“As indigenous peoples of the Niger Delta region, we have been historically marginalised, exploited, and excluded by the oil and gas industry. Our communities have suffered environmental degradation, pollution, and health hazards due to the activities of oil and gas companies. Yet, we receive pittances in benefits from both the government and internal oil companies,” the statement read in part.