Already, Ijaw ethnic nationality have tagged the bill as anti-Ijaw and would do everything possible to block its passage.
Ijaw people under the aegis of Flow station/Well Head Host Ijaw Communities Forum had on Wednesday told their representatives in the state House of Assembly to block the bill which they said was counter-productive to Ijaw host communities, failure to which they threaten to recall them.
According to them, if the Bill is allowed to sail through in the House, it would be a double tragedy for the host communities which have been grappling with environmental degradation due to oil exploration and exploitation activities in the area.
Spokesman of the forum, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, who spoke with newsmen on the controversial Bill, said Ijaw communities produced the highest crude oil quantum in the state, and warned that the electorate would trigger a process to recall all Ijaw legislators from the Assembly, if they vote in favour of the Bill.
He advised other oil producting ethnic nationalities to add their voices to the protests against the passage of the Bill in the overall interests of their communities in particular and the state at large.
Mulade maintained that democracy is supposed to be an inclusive and people’s government, saying that the bill being sponsored by Governor Okowa portends grave danger for the oil producing areas.
‘’We condemn in strong term and reject the bill in its entirety as it seeks to reap us off of the 13% derivation fund given to the oil and gas producing communities in the state. The Bill is inimical to the principle of derivation and insensitive to the peculiarities of the oil producing communities’’, he said.
Mulade, a social critics also kicked against the section of new DESOPADEC bill which will place the commissioners on part-time as well as Managing Directors's selection on senatorial level, saying if the bill is passed, it will go against the purpose in which it was established.
He said that the oil commission was established by former Governor James Ibori to cater for the oil bearing communities and not for non-oil producing communities.
According to him, the commissioners are the only direct representatives of the communities in the board but if relegated to be on part-time it shows no one will be there to represent the people of Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Ndokwa who supposed to be the direct beneficiary of the interventionist agency.
Mulade noted that the new bill which seeks for appointment of Managing Directors on the basis of senatorial district will totally erase three ethnic groups of Delta south senatorial district from representation because the district is made up of Ijaw, Itsekiri, Isoko and Urhobo because it allows only three Managing Directors one from each of the districts.
He further stressed that the bill totally removed powers from the oil bearing communities to take care of their liabilities which is not too good and therefore “urged members of the Delta State House of Assembly particularly those from Delta South senatorial district to rise up against these sections in ensuring that they are all corrected for the benefits of the three major ethnic groups of the district”, he added.
It could be recalled that Governor Okowa had few days ago while addressing members of Ukoko R’Ivie R’Urhobo, an umbrella body of government recognised traditional rulers from Delta Central Senatorial District, explained that the amendment bill for the state oil commission was to make the organisation more effective in meeting with the needs of oil producing communities.
According to him, “we are not going to do anything in secrecy, in my inaugural speech, we made it clear that we will strengthen DESOPADEC along the NDDC (Niger Delta Development Commission) pattern, we want to ensure that we have a structured management system that would not be based on ethnic sentiments, the Commissioners from different ethnic nationalities will be members of the Board where they will present issues concerning their ethnic nationalities while the management which is insulated from ethnic politics implements policies reached.”
“I insisted on a public hearing so as to get the people’s views which will vastly enrich the bill before it is passed into law, it is left for the House of Assembly after listening to the public to take its own decision and pass a bill that will be in the best interest of Deltans, this I will assent to,” he assured.
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