There were accusations and counter accusations yesterday between the Minister of the Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Ufot Ekaette and oil companies operating in the country over who is responsible for the crisis in the oil-rich region.
It was at a meeting held by the minister with the oil companies and other stake holders in the industry
Ekaette accused the oil firms of not living to the expectations of their host communities. He based his assertion on the outcome of his visit to the nine oil-producing area.
According to him, the tremendous development in oil producing areas such as Houston Texas, Canada, Oatar, Saudi Arabia and Mexico, among others, can not be compared with what obtains in the Niger Delta. “From our interactions with the oil communities in the states that make up the Niger Delta, the complaints are far-reaching: They complain that oil firms have not fully involved them in what they are doing and as such, they feel alienated from the process, provide services only in areas that directly aid oil production and not as a deliberate attempt to develop communities and improve living conditions of the people.”
On its part, the oil firms said the government was to blame. They said the government blatantly refused to develop the Niger Delta region. They cited all they had contributed in monetary terms including the statutory three per cent of their annual budgets to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which amounts to about 85 per cent of their earnings., the 13 per cent derivation that accrue to oil-producing states and other corporate social responsibilities from the joint venture operations, among others, Yet, they contented, that the presence of the monies are not felt in the region.
The oil companies said they made efforts to ensure their host communities feel their impact but that the federal, state and local governments are simply absent in terms of development of oil-producing states.
They said that the NDDC spent billions of naira to develop the Niger Delta development masterplan and ever since, the masterplan is yet to be seen to enable them (oil firms) know their collaborative roles in the plan.
Jan312009