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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has raised serious concerns over the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), arguing that it fails to protect the interests of oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta.
At a press briefing, PANDEF’s National Spokesman and Publicity Secretary, Obiuwevbi Ominimini, stressed the urgent need to revisit the law.
“The PIA needs to be revisited. It does not favour Niger Delta,” he declared. “Section 257 provides that when there is vandalization of oil facilities, the money shall be deducted from the Host Community Development Fund. But the PIA provides in Section 236 that when the Oil Exploration companies (Settlors) fail to comply with the PIA or delay to implement the PIA provision(s), the Settlor is made to pay 2,500 USD to the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on daily basis.”
He condemned the current flow of funds: “Such money should have been paid to the host communities who suffer the noncompliance by the Settlors instead of NUPRC that is charged by the PIA to oversight the Settlors.”
Ominimini accused the regulatory commission of complacency, saying, “NUPRC is now condoning the Settlors’ noncompliance because it serves as a source of revenue generation to NUPRC.”
He further highlighted the impact on local governance and development: “Since the inception of the PIA to date, so many Host Communities’ Boards of Trustees (BOTs) and Management Committees (MCs) have not received the distribution matrix from the Settlors, which shall enable the BOTs and MCs to award development projects to the oil-bearing communities or Host Communities.”
“The money meant for such projects is constantly being affected by inflation,” PANDEF lamented.
Turning to the government’s role, Ominimini made a firm appeal: “PANDEF calls on the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, being the supervisory body to NUPRC, to live up to her responsibility and call Engr. Komolafe, the CEO of NUPRC, to order.”
In a passionate call to President Bola Tinubu, PANDEF urged revitalisation of key economic infrastructure in the Niger Delta.
“We are calling on President Tinubu for revamping the sea ports in Niger Delta now that the budget for the year 2026 is being prepared. It is a sin to concentrate all landing containers in Lagos Seaport, leaving all ports in Niger Delta such as Warri Port, Sapele Port, Koko Port, Burutu Port, One Port in Port Harcourt, and Calabar Port to waste and rot away.”
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“The revival of all these ports,” he asserted, “shall step up the economic activities of the people of Niger Delta Region, the region that feeds Nigeria with oil and gas but benefits nothing in return.”
PANDEF closed with a call for justice and development equity for the Niger Delta communities, emphasizing their crucial role in Nigeria’s energy sector.
