DESOPADEC urges youths to shun violence

Mr Philip Gbasin, Executive Director, Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC), has advised the Niger Delta Youths to shun all form of vices to attract and sustain development in the region.

Gbasin gave the advise in an interview with the Newsmen in Warri on Sunday.

He said that almost all the oil companies in the region have relocated because of the unpleasant attitude of the people in the area.

“The passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will not automatically create the needed attractions for investors nor translate into the development of the region unless the people embrace positive transformation,’’ he said.

He urged the State Governments in the region to deal with these vices, particularly in the area of touting, where people have to pay touts to build or renovate their houses in these areas.

He charged leaders and those in authority to wake up to their responsibilities to check excesses of these people in the region.

Gbasin said, “I don’t believe that the passage of the PIB bill alone will resolve all the issues of developing the Niger Delta region.

“The major critical issue we must look at, is the attitude of the people, our people’s attitude is very unfriendly to industrial growth.

“Many companies have left the region; they left because of insecurity arising from cultism, kidnapping, extortion and harassment by the Niger Delta youth, not necessarily because of armed robbery.

“ I think we need reorientation and serious work on the youth because most of the industries that left the region are relocating to other parts of the country with more friendly environment,’’ Gbasin said.

However, he applauded the National Assembly for the passage of the bill, adding that the bill would introduce a new order in the joint venture between the Federal Government and oil companies operating in Nigeria.

“The bill is a new governance model; the bill has been able to address grey areas that the International Oil Companies (IOCs) are initially not comfortable with

He noted that there was no single business operated by the government that it had made reasonable profit, adding that it would only collapse the oil industries.

“With this PIB, that control clause has been removed, the difference now is that the oil companies will be free to run their own companies while a new structure like NNPC will be established by government to manage the joint venture.”

He said though the PIB was critical, it would not automatically translate into massive investment in the oil sector.

“The key bill in the PIB, was the Host Community Bill (HCB) which has not been passed.

“We recall that the initial PIB was a bulky document which is now broken into different parts for easy passage, the PIB being the first part has been passed remaining other parts which include the HCB.”

He urged the senate to critically consider the HCB and ensure that the communities were well represented, adding that it was the host community bill that will guarantee a social license for investors to invest.

He said that the HCB would make the host communities legal partners and stakeholder in the business of oil producing, adding that as partners, the issues of vandalism, kidnapping among other would be reduced.

“The bill that will guarantee a social license which the oil companies will be comfortable with is the HCB, no matter the fine structure of the new governance model of the PIB.

“In fact we pray that the Senate and House of Representatives will look at that area critically so as not to pass a bill that will make the host communities uncomfortable.

“I believe that there is room for the host communities to make input that will guarantee social license for the oil companies to operate without security challenges.

“This bill will make the difference because oil companies are operating within the goodwill of the communities,” Gbasin said.

 

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