Lucky Omas
30 July 2018, Sweetcrude, Warri, Delta State — Host communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and gas, HOSTCOM, have enjoined the federal government to encourage oil communities to actively participate in oil and gas activities in their communities.
The national chairman of HOSTCOM, Dr. Style Benjamin made the appeal in his address at the formal inauguration of his executive at the Petroleum Training Institute conference centre, Warri, Delta state.
He said the move would douse tension in the communities, adding that communities would see themselves as equal stakeholders in the oil operations taking place in their domain.
He said the crisis in the communities had largely been traced to the alienation of the communities, noting that they were only made to suffer pollution and environmental degradation.
He also called for ten percent equity for host communities while sharing net profit of oil and gas operations from the federation account.
His words, “ In all licenses and leases with 5 percent coming from the federal government, five percent from the oil and gas companies
Host communities should be directly involved in the management of their resources to give them a sense of belonging . oil is regarded as a national asset as a result of the Land Use Act. Therefore, income derived from it are shared by all tiers of government. The same cannot be said of gas flare fines. The 1985 Associated Gas Re-injection Act which introduced payment of fines should be amended by this Act so that gas flare fines are paid directly to the host communities as injuries and damages
Host communities should be allowed to manage oil blocks and marginal fields to fast-track development in the oil producing communities.
Similarly, if host communities are to be penalized for pipeline vandalism in their communities, responsibility to protect those pipelines/facilities should be assigned to the host communities”.