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A youth leader from Kokori oil producing community in OML30, in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State, Comrade Odiri Umukoro, has said he is satisfied that indigenes and youths of the 112 host communities in OML30, are engaged in securing the pipelines and oil facilities in the asset.
Umukoro, who spoke Sunday in Lagos, at the ongoing public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by the Joint Committee on Petroleum Upstream and Downstream, urged the National Assembly committee to disregard the “misleading impression that outsiders were awarded contracts to protect pipelines in the host communities.
He said, “to be fair to NNPC and its subsidiaries, international oil companies and indigenous operators, these companies have been honest and done well to have awarded pipeline contracts to persons who are bona-fide indigenes in Niger Delta. More so, commendably, the youths from the host communities are employed and directly safeguarding and protecting pipelines and facilities in their various communities.
”For instance in OML 30, I am aware that the pipeline contract is being handled by a Niger Delta indigenous firm, Ocean Marine Solution limited, which had engaged over 800 youths from the various host communities, who are directly securing the pipelines and facilities, which is a very good and workable template.”
Umukoro, noted that every reasonable indigene from Niger Delta should be more concerned with how host communities can get 10% equity shares in every assets or oil block in their domains in the proposed PIB.
“It is almost a fact that NNPC, IOCs and Indigenous operators awarded contracts to protect oil pipeline and facilities to capable indigenes within Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, and Edo. So, therefore, it will be wrong for anybody to insinuate that outsiders, referring to people not from any states in Niger Delta were awarded pipeline contracts.”