A fight has broken out at the ongoing public hearing
organised by the House of Representatives on the Petroleum Industry Bill as
members of the host communities engage in physical combat.
The fight broke out when the Host Communities of Nigeria
Producing Oil and Gas was called to the podium to make a presentation.
Some other bodies of host communities, however, stood up,
leading to a rowdy session.
The situation became worse when members of the opposing
sides began to exchange blows, forcing the lawmakers to seek the intervention
of security operatives.
The leaders of the oil-rich areas under the aegis of the
Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas had on Tuesday, openly
rejected the 2.5 per cent proposed for them in the Petroleum Industry Bill
2020, being considered by the joint Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources,
(Downstream, Upstream and Gas).
They insisted that nothing short of the 10 per cent of the
operating expenditure they were demanding would be acceptable to them because
the proposed 2.5 per cent was grossly inadequate to provide basic social
amenities and improve the standard of living of their people.
But the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre
Sylva, faulted the position of host communities who are insisting on collecting
10 per cent of the operating expenditure of the oil firms to set up a trust
fund.
Details later…
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