PIB: ‘Northern Colonial, Oppressive Mentality’ Must Stop – Edwin Clark

Edwin Clark, an Ijaw national leader, has lampooned leadership of the national assembly and the northern region over the newly passed Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), calling the northern region dominance of the country ‘oppressive’.

Last week, the national assembly passed the PIB, raising the frontier basins exploration fund to 30 percent.

Reacting to the passed bill, Edwin Clark, who is also the leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), in an open letter addressed to the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker house of representatives, described the PIB as “satanic, unjust and embarrassing”.

Edwin Clark vehemently opposed the provision and allocation of 30% of profits for further frontier oil exploration in the north.

He said the PIB was not a reflection of the long agitation by the people of south south region for equity, fairness and justice, noting that the bill has squashed the hopes of the people of the Niger Delta.

Edwin Clark averred that people of the Niger Delta, at all levels both at home and abroad, are hugely displeased by the satanic and obnoxious allocation of a paltry percentage of operating expenditure to oil producing communities by the national assembly.

“It is important to state clearly here to all well-meaning Nigerians that the demand of the oil bearing communities of the Niger Delta Region was for a minimum of 10% equity participation,” Edwin Clark said.

“But you Mr. Senate President, the Right Honourable Speaker and some of your colleagues in the National Assembly, have further shown your disdain to the Niger Delta people by redefining host communities to include pipeline-bearing pathway communities, in which case States where pipelines pass through to aid them with the privilege of cheap supplies of Niger Delta petroleum products could also be entitled to the ridiculous and unacceptable percentages that the legislators are willing to cede to oil-bearing Communities.

“We want to warn seriously, that the people of the Niger Delta have had enough of this colonial and oppressive mentality of our Northern brothers and friends. Today, the north controls the Oil Sector, even though day-to-day operations are being handled by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

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Clarke said the entire people of the Niger Delta region, for and on behalf of the host communities, vehemently reject the 3% and 5% of operating ex[tps_start_button label=”Start slideshow” style=”” class=””]penditure granted to the host communities; the fraudulent and provocative 30% provision for the frontier exploration fund.

Edwin Clark demanded that the PIB be reversed, reviewed and amended to ensure that the oil-producing communities receive not less than 10% of operating cost.

“If this is not done, the Niger Delta people may be forced to take their destiny into their own hands and all IOCs may find themselves denied access to their oil activities in such communities,” he added.

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