The dust raised by the 3% Host Communities Trust Fund approved by both chambers of the National Assembly in the recently passed Petroleum Industry Bill ( PIB) remained unsettled, with Senator Seriake Dickson ( PDP Bayelsa West) raising the fear the proposal may lead to unrest in the Niger Delta region.
The lawmaker also justified the backlash being faced by the Senate from Nigerians over amendment made to Clause 52(3) of the Electoral Act (Amendment ) Bill 2021, which according to him, unconstitutionally subordinated independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC).
Expressing his anger over perceived shortcomings in the two bills at a media briefing Thursday in Abuja , Dickson described the two legislations as offensive and insensitive to concerned Nigerians.
He specifically declared that the PIB passed with 3% for Host Communities Fund won’t in anyway, help Nigeria and investors in the oil and gas sectors.
The former governor also said the 5% earlier recommended by both Committees of the National Assembly which was even far below the 10% being demanded by stakeholders across the various oil producing communities, ought to have been retained in the interest of fairness , justice and equity.
He said: ” When PIB was first introduced and forwarded to the National Assembly by the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua , 10% was proposed for Host Communities fund and Frontier Basins for exploration of oil as against the Bill recently passed , given 3% for Host Communities and 30% for Frontier Basins.
“These, as far as the people of Niger Delta or oil producing states are concerned, are unjustifiable and look like opening another chapter for unrest in the area which will not benefit anybody.
“Imagine the problem the country has been facing with Boko Haram insurgency in the North East for the past ten years, the Armed banditry and kidnapping also being faced in the North West within the last three to four years as well as agitations being faced in South West and South East , to now be added up with avoidable crisis in the South South.
“Those of us from the area did our best to prevail on our colleagues to listen to us and buy into our demands but number or majority position was used, which in actual fact do not build a Nation with diversities like Nigeria.
“Might and Majority do not build a diversified nation like Nigeria but presence of Justice , fairness. Mere reliance on numbers without fairness, equity and justice is inimical to Nation building,” the lawmaker said.
He therefore appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari not to assent to the bill ,but send it back for more consultation and required inclusiveness in its proposals.
Dickson disclosed that he along other senators from the zone staged a walk out from the dinner night President Buhari had with the 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives, held before the final consideration and passage of the bill when they discovered that it was 3% being canvassed for Host Communities.
“It was a terrible evening for us on account of the 3% proposal, which as a politician of conviction and not that of convenience, led to my walk out from the dinner along with some other Senators.
“We put up the required moves on the floor of the Senate to push it up to 5% as recommended by the joint committees of both chambers but those who rely solely on numbers , have their way,” the lawmaker said.
On the controversial amendment made by the Senate on Clause 52(3) of the Electoral Act (Amendment) 2021, Dickson said the backlash being received by Senate over the amendment was not unexpected.
This, he said, was because the original proposal made in the clause had already taken care of whatever exigencies being envisaged on electronic transmission of election results.
“As a member of the Senate Committee on INEC, the phrase of where and when practicable used in clause 52(3) was enough to take care of any exigencies , making the amendment which included NCC in the entire process , unnecessary and unconstitutional.
“Fortunately, a window of striking out that amendment is already provided by the House of Representatives which adopted the clause as originally proposed.
“So it is expected that the earlier version of the clause, will be the one to be adopted by the confluence Committee which will be set up by both chambers for the required harmonization of reports before transmitting the bill to the President for assent,” he said.
