Some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for the unbundling of Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to enhance development of host communities in the oil producing regions.
The CSOs said this in Eket in a communiqué issued at the end of a 2 day workshop and advocacy to traditional leaders on impact assessments in oil producing regions.
The communiqué was endorsed on behalf of the CSOs by Mr Ayo Omowu, Head, Environmental and Conservation of Nature, Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) and Mr Edidiong Dickson, Programme Manager, Policy Alert.
The CSOs said that the unbundling would make the regulatory commission more focused and work better for oil-producing communities.
The CSOs in the communiqué called for a review of the PIA to provide for 40 per cent representation of women, youths, and persons with disabilities in the composition of the membership of the Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).
The communiqué also called for effective legislation and strong political will to implement the laws that strengthen transparency and accountability provisions in the PIA.
“The National Assembly should amend the PIA to make the gas flare penalty only for the purpose of environmental remediation and relief of the host community.
“As the current provision of the PIA allows for the dual utilisation of the fund.
“The President should rescind his Executive Order 9, to pay the gas flare penalty as revenue to the federation account, which is a general pool for expenditure of the federation, at the expense of the people who bear the brunt of this gas flare.
“The Federal Government should not see the gas flare penalty as a revenue stream as it violates the polluter-pay principles.
“The polluter-pay principle ensures that polluters suffer reputational damage whenever they incur pollution fines,” the communiqué stated.
It also called for disclosure of financial reports by settlors and enforcement of gas flare penalties.
Our Correspondent reports that participants at the workshop included; traditional leaders, and representatives of HCDTs from Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states.
