Reactions have continued to trail the signing of the Petroleum Information Bill (PIB) into law by President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday.
Niger Deltans had rejected the three percent approved for oil-producing communities and appropriation of an outrageous 30 percent to the National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as profit for oil exploration in the frontier basins in the PIB but Buhari went ahead with the signing.
The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the apex sociocultural group, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), and the Centre for Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Crusade (CHURAC) have all kicked against it but the president received accolades from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
The PDP, on Monday, said the president has confirmed their claims that he does not respect the people and democracy by his decision to sign the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) despite outcry by Nigerians on the provisions of the document.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party noted that President Buhari’s decision to sign the PIB despite the widespread public rejection of the document had further confirmed that the current administration has no respect for the people and tenets of democracy as a system of government.
The statement read: “By his action, President Buhari has only authenticated that he is not a listening leader and that the APC and its leaders are only out to trample on the will of Nigerians for their selfish interests.
“In putting his hands to endorse the obnoxious bill, even with its distasteful, paltry and provocative three percent revenue to oil-producing communities, President Buhari and the APC have again displayed disdain and insensitivity to the sufferings of the people of the Niger Delta.
“The PDP holds that such is the height of contempt to oil-producing communities, particularly in the face of the challenges which they face as a result of oil exploration.
“Mr. President could have returned the bill to the National Assembly with a request that it is made to address the demands of the oil-producing communities.
“The new law cannot guarantee the desired stability and development in the oil and gas sector as well as a respite in the Niger Delta region.
“If anything, the act as signed by President Buhari is a dangerous recipe for avoidable crisis in the sector.
“The PDP calls on President Buhari to salvage the situation by immediately forwarding an amendment bill to the National Assembly to reflect the true wishes and aspirations of every segment of our nation.”
In other reactions, the National Publicity Secretary of PANDEF, Ken Robinson, in a statement in Warri, Delta State, described the assent as callous, repressive and insensitive to the plight of the Niger Delta.
“This PIB falls way short of the expectations of the oil and gas producing communities that bear the brunt of unconscionable industry operations.
“This assent by President Buhari simply speaks to the repugnant attitude of disregard, propelled by arrogance, disdain and contempt with which issues concerning the Niger Delta region is treated, particularly, by the present administration.
“What this act signifies is an unequivocal message to the Niger Delta people that how they feel and what they say do not count at all in the schemes of the Nigeria project,” the statement read partly.
Also speaking, CHURAC’s president/chairman, Board of Trustees, Cleric Alaowei, said the unusual speed by President Buhari in assenting to the Bill was suspicious and a sign that he was predisposed to doing the bid of a section of the country to the detriment of others.
“It appears President Buhari is yielding to the desires of a section of the country, especially the core northern supremacists. For us in the Niger Delta, the hasty signing into law of that rather repressive Act only marked another draconian legal regime where the region is being subjected to the whims and caprices of the inimical petroleum laws.
“Niger Delta people need 10 per cent equity share. Three per cent cannot remedy the despoliation of our environment occasioned by the years of unhindered oil exploration,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), in a statement by the Secretary-General of OPEC, Dr Mohammed Barkindo, released on Monday evening, praised the President for signing the bill.
The statement read partly: “I wish to extend my congratulations to you on signing into law the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which marks a significant milestone for Nigeria’s oil industry and a historic achievement for your Presidency.
“With the stroke of a pen, you have inaugurated a new era for the industry following years of legislative efforts to strengthen the legal, regulatory, fiscal and governance framework of the petroleum sector,” Barkindo stated.
He added that “In addition, these resources will be vital to supplying world markets with a broad portfolio of energy options, and support global efforts to alleviate energy poverty as outlined in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7.
“The passage of the PIB by both houses of the National Assembly on 16 July and your act of signing it into law coincides with another significant milestone in our country’s history – the 50th anniversary of Nigeria’s Membership of OPEC.”
