Written by Emmanuel Iheaka
Traditional leaders have been cautioned by Dr. Benjamin Tamaranebi, National President of Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas, not to submit bids for contracts to carry out projects authorized for their communities in accordance with the Petroleum Industry Act.
Tamaranebi gave a speech at a town hall meeting held on Thursday in Owerri, Imo State, by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in collaboration with HOSTCOM Project Management and Advisory Konsult Ltd for Host Communities Development Board of Trustees (HCDTS) and settlers in Imo/Abia states.
He added that granting contracts to themselves would result in compromise and that monarchs, as chairmen of the Host Communities Board of Trustees, are responsible for overseeing the awarding and implementation of projects authorized for the communities and guaranteeing accountability.
According to Tamaranebi, several oil-producing areas have had some respite since the Petroleum Industry Act was passed, which authorized 3% of oil corporations’ yearly operational costs for host communities.
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It’s a new dawn for oil communities, according to Mrs. Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), who gave a keynote presentation.
Communities that have not yet received 2024 funds were asked by Eyesan, represented by Atama Daniel, to file a formal complaint with the commission.
According to Johnson Abiye, Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Defenders Network (EDEN), regulators should make sure that the Petroleum Industry Act is implemented smoothly for areas that produce oil.
Abiye demanded that the situation be corrected after pointing out that numerous communities that were meant to be a member of HOSTCOM were left out.
