NewStats: 3,265,462 , 8,186,798 topics. Date: Sunday, 15 June 2025 at 05:08 AM 1j4o5t

When the late Umaru Musa Yar’adua istration first presented the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to the National Assembly in 2008, the feeling among people of the host communities was that of reprieve for decades of negligence and sufferings. That explains their eagerness for the bill to come to reality.

On Thursday, the wait was over but disappointedly, it fell short of expectations. The PIB as ed by the National Assembly turned out to be a stunningly bad deal for the people of the host communities and here is why.

In the version of the bill ed by the Senate, a 3% annual operating expenditure of oil companies will go to the Host Communities Trust Fund, and in the House of Representatives, they settled for a 5%. Sorry to say, this isn’t what people bet their hopes on for 13 years to address the unfair treatment they had endured for decades.

Crude Oil in most parts of the world is mostly seen as a gift of God for the people but for host communities in the Niger Delta area, the story is entirely different. Instead of it helping fund schools, hospitals, roadways and even get thousands of able people in host communities meaningfully engaged, what they have gotten over the years is neglect, disease, and poverty.

The percentage being provided for host communities in the PIB seriously questions the sense of justice of the National Assembly. It is a gross misunderstanding of the pains and hopelessness that pervades the host communities as a result of years of neglect and how much is needed to make things right for them.

Compared to many other parts of the country, lives in the Niger Delta area have literally fallen into traps of abject poverty and hopelessness. Make no mistake, the unfavourable situation many people are facing in the Nigeria delta is not necessarily their fault but the impact of oil exploration and related activities in these areas.

Fishermen are daily finding it hard to survive because the oil effect on the land is driving away fish from them. Farmlands are polluted with particles from crude oil and make cultivation on them almost impossible. Sources of water are exposed to oil spills and as such, limit access to clean water for drinking, cooking, or other everyday needs.

All these are a preview of the terrible situations that host communities are forced to bear and should have appealed to the conscience of the federal legislature to do something better for them. But here we’re, and they came up with a deal that will most certainly not make much difference for the people of host communities.

That outlook fiercely contradicts pretentious claims of fairness, and that those in Abuja are not really serious about giving host communities the kind of deal that suits their needs. Otherwise, why would the Senate think 3% will be enough for host communities but a staggering 30% of NNPC’s oil and gas profit to ‘Frontier’ States that are likely to be situated in the Northern part of the country.

Why give so little to people who are already facing the effect of oil activities and focus very big on the search for oil in places that you may hardly find them? That can never be fair. Host communities are in short of good health infrastructures to handle serious ailments that come from exposure to chemicals and other hazardous materials from oil activities. They do not have good water to drink or bathe.

A lot of challenges for host communities that the 3% reached by the Senate cannot definitely take care of. So, the National Assembly will need to have a rethink and review upward the amount that should go to the host communities trust fund. At the least, the National Assembly as an institution can resolve to go with the 5% put forward by the House of Representatives. That, too, will not be enough, but at least, a good start to show host communities they are serious about them.

By Oke Umurhohwo, a Political Analyst and public affairs commentator. He tweets via @OkeStalyf and can be reached on [email protected]

https://leaders.ng/pib-a-bad-deal-for-host-communities-by-okestalyf/

PIB: A bad deal for the whole of South

That's cool

90% of the people making these aws have never visited this community where oil and gas is produced. Personally I have worked here for the past 10 years and it's quite sad how much degradation the environment has suffered. The swamps are polluted with oil and the fishes are disappearing.

I wont post pictures of children who we comes daily to our locations to beg and collect food. Do I mention unavailability of hospitals and good schools.

All the the lawmakers should spent a month in the creek of Niger Delta.

I said it ,that Bill is as useless as used sanitary pad ,I have lived in bayalse more than six years and I can authoritatively said that Niger delta deserve more than 10 percent ,every flowing water is polluted ,u have to buy every water u will use in the house ,the habit of drinking pure water satchets have not left me since 2014 I relocated to the east ,people are suffering in that region... though they have one of the most fantastic crooks as leaders and political class ,however such measures should be channeled directly to the suffering masses of the region ...but this crooks in the national assembly doesn't seem to understand this things ,rather they will be debating on cows,donkeys and camel .chai may God punish this useless people that are making us a laughing stock before sane persons

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It's a northern agenda

In these days of " horizontal drilling" how do you define host community

Resolution will surface soon...
I see our corrupt politicians paying with their blood

Hmm

Damn it

I am particularly worried that the senators from the south will basically allow this bill to fly, 3% is outrageously ridiculous.

How?

A bad deal indeed. But where were our representatives when this bill was drafted,deliberated on and ed?

Today na metal day...7/7

Sss

The worst thing Buhari can do right now is to that PIB. This is the reason they took over NDDC.

Buhari you don't want to add Militants to your already stretched Army.

hmm

One thing I dislike about Northern politicians is their insincerity. You know this money is coming from the South/South, East and West oil producing communities and you are still complaining about how much these communities should get. 5% is even small...

If the oil was in the north, I tell you, Nigeria would have disintegrated a long time ago cos they are greedy and won't even take what the south is taking.

The north seems to want a war
They are pushing the south to the wall
They seems to believe they have the upper hand if a war breaks out so they are telling us what can you do.

This last war they are pushing for have put many cells of fulani herdmen in the south
And they are showing us a bit of the action with the kidnapping going on

The last straw may break soon
And the wars of all wars will happen

The winner will take it all if it's the north while if it's the south that wins

The country will break to allow them eat their onions and tomatoes alone

Oga 5% is enough if properly utilized.

Nigeria: A country that knows how to make life verrrrry hard for her citizens

C

of cvourse.

AnonPoet:

https://leaders.ng/pib-a-bad-deal-for-host-communities-by-okestalyf/

Mr. Oke and your likes, where were you all when this PIB bill was under consideration for years. No one take time to read, understand and comprehend what is in the bill but rather too lazy and wait for it to be ed before shouting. It’s very pathetic that we have so called analysts, eleders, experts, etc that cannot comprehend enough and provide suggestions through their representatives and even publish it in the pages of newspaper before the bill was ed. This bill has been under consideration for many years.

A very very bad deal.

Okay

Hmm