National chairman of the Amalgamated Host Communities Producing Oil and Gas, Prince Dr. Mike Emuh, has called on the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to have a second look at the provisions in Section 235 (1) and (4) on the Host Communities in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) for a possible amendment.
He made the call on Friday during his presentation at the stakeholders’ engagement at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
According to him, the host communities should be empowered to run the affairs of the Community Trusts contrary to the provision of the bill which makes the settlors landlords and the host communities tenants.
He further questioned the portion of the law in Section 2 (5) and (7) which holds the host communities responsible for security breaches or destruction of oil infrastructure in their respective localities but which does not empower them to carry out such responsibilities. He, therefore, maintained the need to amend the provision of the bill to protect the interest of the host communities.