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The Government of Rivers State and communities in the Niger Delta region have criticised the proposal by the Federal Government to unbundle the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and privatise a part of it as well as oil assets without the approval of other tiers of government.
The state and the communities, in their separate written presentations to the House of Representatives on the Petroleum Industry Bill, stated that the proposal to eventually sell off a National Petroleum Company to be created from the NNPC requires a collective approval of all stakeholders.
According to them, the NNPC and petroleum assets belong to the federation and not the Federal Government alone.
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• Country moving in right direction, says minister • Committee chair promises to visit region for more facts
Niger Delta stakeholders, yesterday, defended their opposition to the current Petroleum Industry (PIB), which government officials believe is the solution to the myriad of challenges confronting the region.
They spoke just as some community leaders from the region threw caution to the wind as they engaged in fisticuffs during yesterday’s public hearing on the bill. The fight started when Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) was called to the podium to make a presentation. There was disagreement amongst the members, leading to exchange of blows until security operatives intervened.
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Fight broke out at the hearing taking place at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja when the first group of the host communities was invited to make their presentation.
The committee said the others will make their presentation after the first group the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas is done with theirs.
But some others kicked against the move. They stood up and started shouting at another. The shouting match dissolved into a rowdy session that further degenerated into fighting.
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Some of those present were overheard saying the representative of the first group “is not going anywhere”.
TODAY
January 28, 2021
Tension broke out at the ongoing public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) on Wednesday as disagreement amongst members of the host communities led to physical combat.
The fight started when the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) was called to the podium to make a presentation.
Some other bodies of host communities, however, stood up, leading to a rowdy session.
The situation became worse when members of the opposing sides began to exchange blows, forcing the lawmakers to seek the intervention of security operatives.
Leaders of the HOSTCOM had on Tuesday, openly rejected the 2.5 per cent proposed for them in the Petroleum Industry Bill 2020, being considered by the joint Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources, (Downstream, Upstream and Gas).
March 21, 2021 1:27 am
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