Delta
State House of Assembly in Focus: The Speaker of the Delta State House
of Assembly, Hon Monday Igbuya has assured oil producing communities in
the state that the DESOPADEC 2016 budget presently before the house
will be thoroughly examined in order to accommodate all their interest.
Assembly
Correspondent, Nkem Nwaeke reports that the Speaker gave the assurance
while addressing two different groups who staged a peaceful protest to
the state legislature over some issues of concern in the 2015 and 2016
budget of DESOPADEC.
The
two protesting groups were the Delta State Chapter of Host Communities
of Nigeria Led by it Chairman, Dr Peter Egedegbe and Flowstation
Well-Head Host Communities of Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri Southwest led
by Comrade Sheriff Mulade.
The
Speaker represented by the Chairman, House Committee on Desopadec, Hon
Dennis Omovie said the house will ensure that the interest of oil
producing communities were accommodated in the budget.
He
said Desopadec was an interventionist agency established to carter for
the development needs of oil producing communities, stressing that the
commission will not do otherwise.
Hon
Igbuya said the protest was premature, adding that the House was yet to
look into the budget sent to it last week for necessary legislative
action, maintaining that budget is an instrument of law that passes
through a process and the 2016 DESOPADEC budget cannot be an exception.
He
stated that every Deltan has an interest but must do so within the
ambit of the law, advising against putting the cart before the Horse.
Hon
Igbuya however commended them for the peaceful protest and assured that
the House would consider the interest of all stakeholders without
neglecting the mandate of the commission.
The
protesters had besieged the State House of Assembly complex, Asaba in
protest against the 2016 budget of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas
Development Commission, DESOPADEC, frowning at the non accountability of
N16 billion in the 2015 budget of the commission
The
State Chairman of Host Communities of Nigeria, Dr Peter Egedegbe and
National Coordinator, Prince Maikpobi Okareme, said projects sited
outside the oil and gas producing communities should be de-emphasized
and called for full implementation of the 2015 budget as passed
especially projects that have been designed for which tender documents
have been prepared and ready for distribution.
They stressed the need for higher provision for capital expenditure than recurrent.
Speaking
on behalf of the Flowstation Wellhead Host Communities of Gbaramatu
kingdom, Comrade Sheriff Mulade condemned the moves by Desopadec to
impose projects on the host communities, stating that the plan to divert
the allocation accruing to the host communities to build a modular
refinery in their area was not the priority of the people.
Comrade
stressed the need to capture the priority needs of the people in the
2016 Desopadec budget as proposed to the commission, advising that the
Desopadec should stop embarking on unrealistic programs and projects as
well as address the lopsided employment policy which they alleged had
shortchange the Ijaw nationalities.
The
documents containing the demands of the protesters were handed over to
the representative of the Speaker, Hon Dennis Omovie flanked by Hon Dan
Yingi, Chairman, House Committee on Environment, Oil and Gas and member
of Desopadec committee.
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