Payment of 13% Derivation: Uduaghan Can’t Stop Us – Host Communitie
Posted on January 25, 2013
THE MOVE BY DELTA STATE GOVERNOR, DR. EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN TO STOP OIL AND GAS COMMUNITIES FROM AGITATING FOR THE STOPPAGE OF PAYMENT OF THE 13 PER CENT DERIVATION FUNDS TO STATE GOVERNORS MAY COLLAPSE AS A HIGH LEVEL SOURCE CLOSE TO THE COMMUNITIES DISCLOSED TO OUR REPORTER THAT THOUSANDS OF HOST COMMUNITIES WERE BEING MOBILIZED FROM ALL OVER THE OIL PRODUCING AREA TO STORM TOMORROW'S MEETING WITH THE GOVERNOR IN WARRI
The move by Delta state governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan to stop Oil and Gas Communities from agitating for the stoppage of payment of the 13 per cent derivation funds to state governors may collapse as a high level source close to the communities disclosed to the Niger Delta Standard that thousands of host communities were being mobilized from all over the oil producing area to storm tomorrow's meeting with the governor in Warri
The source said they would not allow a few people to decide the fate of oil producing communities and would not accept anything less than their demand for the setting up of a Derivation Board, comprising an executive chairman, secretary and members, including a member from RMAFC to administer the 13 per cent derivation fund as state governors had wasted N7.280 trillion in the last 13 years.
Also recently, the Association of Families of Oil and Gas Producing Communities(ASFOGAPCOM) called on the federal government to create a mechanism to formally recognize and integrate oil and gas landowners as a separate and distinct group from host communities.
The group’s National President, Hon Joseph Abinogun who spoke to journalists in Effurun lamented that oil and gas landowners in almost six decades of oil and gas exploration in Nigeria lost about 80 billion Naira due to unholy connivance of companies, community leaders, dishonest and unethical corporate tactics by oil majors.
However, tomorrow's meeting between Gov. Uduaghan and Oil and Gas Communities of Nigeria, OGCN led by Chief Wellington Okirika and a former member of the National Assembly, Senator Francis. Okpozo at the Government House Annex, Warri might end without agreement as other members of the group from all over the oil producing communities were mobilizing to attend the meeting and ensure that their leaders did not betray them
The meeting was sequel to the demand by governors in oil producing states to Gov. Uduaghan to call to order ringleaders of the agitation believe to be mainly from Delta state
The group stated recently in a statement that the 13 per cent Derivation Fund currently being managed by the state governors in the oil and gas producing states was an constitutional and aberration.
The oil communities said they no longer have confidence in the ability of the governors to manage the funds to serve their well-being. It was gathered that the governors, who reviewed the activities of OGCN, were no longer comfortable with its antics.
The sources also stated that the governors concluded that it would be counter-productive to allow the leaders of the oil communities to sustain the campaign.
It was learnt that the governors were upset that the campaign had gained the support and backing of some credible stakeholders, including the South-South Leader and a former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark who recently said, “the provision in the 1999 constitution is clear, 13 per cent derivation fund stands on its own. It is not part of any consolidated revenue of any tier of government, nor part of any state joint local government account, 13 per cent derivation fund should then be treated on its own.”
According to him, “Section 162 (2) of the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is specific about the owners of 13 per cent derivation fund. The fund is for oil and gas producing communities who are the source of derivation, as the basis of derivation principle in the 1999 constitution.”
The OGCN has been in the forefront of the agitation of the direct payment of the 13 per cent derivation fund to the oil communities through an administrative committee as obtained during the Shagari administration when 1.5 per cent approved for oil communities was managed through a presidential administrative committee headed by Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji.
The source said they would not allow a few people to decide the fate of oil producing communities and would not accept anything less than their demand for the setting up of a Derivation Board, comprising an executive chairman, secretary and members, including a member from RMAFC to administer the 13 per cent derivation fund as state governors had wasted N7.280 trillion in the last 13 years.
Also recently, the Association of Families of Oil and Gas Producing Communities(ASFOGAPCOM) called on the federal government to create a mechanism to formally recognize and integrate oil and gas landowners as a separate and distinct group from host communities.
The group’s National President, Hon Joseph Abinogun who spoke to journalists in Effurun lamented that oil and gas landowners in almost six decades of oil and gas exploration in Nigeria lost about 80 billion Naira due to unholy connivance of companies, community leaders, dishonest and unethical corporate tactics by oil majors.
However, tomorrow's meeting between Gov. Uduaghan and Oil and Gas Communities of Nigeria, OGCN led by Chief Wellington Okirika and a former member of the National Assembly, Senator Francis. Okpozo at the Government House Annex, Warri might end without agreement as other members of the group from all over the oil producing communities were mobilizing to attend the meeting and ensure that their leaders did not betray them
The meeting was sequel to the demand by governors in oil producing states to Gov. Uduaghan to call to order ringleaders of the agitation believe to be mainly from Delta state
The group stated recently in a statement that the 13 per cent Derivation Fund currently being managed by the state governors in the oil and gas producing states was an constitutional and aberration.
The oil communities said they no longer have confidence in the ability of the governors to manage the funds to serve their well-being. It was gathered that the governors, who reviewed the activities of OGCN, were no longer comfortable with its antics.
The sources also stated that the governors concluded that it would be counter-productive to allow the leaders of the oil communities to sustain the campaign.
It was learnt that the governors were upset that the campaign had gained the support and backing of some credible stakeholders, including the South-South Leader and a former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark who recently said, “the provision in the 1999 constitution is clear, 13 per cent derivation fund stands on its own. It is not part of any consolidated revenue of any tier of government, nor part of any state joint local government account, 13 per cent derivation fund should then be treated on its own.”
According to him, “Section 162 (2) of the 1999 constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria is specific about the owners of 13 per cent derivation fund. The fund is for oil and gas producing communities who are the source of derivation, as the basis of derivation principle in the 1999 constitution.”
The OGCN has been in the forefront of the agitation of the direct payment of the 13 per cent derivation fund to the oil communities through an administrative committee as obtained during the Shagari administration when 1.5 per cent approved for oil communities was managed through a presidential administrative committee headed by Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji.
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