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From Tony John, Port Harcourt
The House of Representatives, Foundation for Partnership Initiative in the Niger Delta (PIND), Ford Foundation and other groups have expressed concerns about the slow pace of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
The stakeholders’ lamentation was at a programme organised by PIND held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Friday.
The Chairman, Host Communities Committee at the House of Representatives, Dumnamene Deekor, called for the operationalisation of the PIA to ensure development and lasting peace in Niger Delta Region. Speaking at an event entitled, “Bridges Project: Host Community Development Trust (HCDTs) dialogue and experience sharing forum”, organised by PIND in collaboration with Ford Foundation, Deekor noted that the operationalisation of the PIA is slow.
Deekor, who represents Khana/Gokana Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, urged impacted communities to take advantage of the opportunity as provided in the PIA to develop their areas.
According to him, the operationalisation of the PIA is very slow. With a lot more awareness, getting the people to understand what it is will be very good.
“Companies need to up their game. NUPRC is doing well. We believe they will do better. Once the companies are able to live up to their expectations, some of the communities should also move very fast to key into the development trust that has been put in place. But we found out in some communities they are not ready because of the issues of leadership.”
