Oil, Gas Producing Communities Appeal To PMB To Ensure Bill Passage

The Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure the passage of the Host/Impacted Communities Development Bill now before the National Assembly.

At the inauguration of the executive committee of Abia State chapter of the HOSTCOM, in Umuahia, the capital, its national Chairman, Benjamin Style Tamaranebi requested the Bill to be passed before the end of the present administration.

He said, “About 17 years ago, great leaders of like minds from host communities agreed to form this association. Since then HOSTCOM has became a strong and virile umbrella body and mouthpiece of the vulnerable people of the oil and gas producing communities.”

According to him, its main objective is to work with both the Federal and State governments to create political will to develop the long, neglected, marginalised and deprived oil and gas producing communities in whose domain oil and gas facilities are located.

While thanking Buhari for approving the Gas Flair Penalty Monies, 13 percent Derivation and pipeline security jobs to the HOSTCOM, he appealed to both the president and traditional rulers in the communities to intervene in the crisis in the organisation.

The chairman also used the forum to appeal to the federal government for the establishment of gas commission and ten percent equity participation to make both oil and gas available across the country at reasonable prices.

He advised both the Abia State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (ASOPADEC) and the HOSTCOM to work closely with each other to attain the development dreams and aspirations of the oil producing areas.

In his speech, the state chairman of HOSTCOM, Maxwell Nwagbara called on oil and gas companies operating in the state to involve the host communities to be part of the pipeline surveillance in the state to achieve the desired goals.

SOURCE: leadership.ng