Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has emphasized the need for an immediate modification of the Petroleum Industry Act.
Diri made this plea during a visit by Rear Admiral Eugenio Ferreira, the new commander of the joint military task force, Operation Delta Safe, and other officers to the Government House in Yenagoa on Tuesday.
He referred to the Act as a “time bomb” and highlighted the importance of amending it to address its flaws.
Diri believes that reviewing the Act will be instrumental in resolving the ongoing conflict between oil companies and the communities in which they operate.
While acknowledging the Act as a positive development for the petroleum industry, he underscored the urgency of amending it to promote better conflict resolution between oil companies and host communities.
He said: “We are happy we have a PIA that guides the industry. However, we saw a lot of flaws even before the Bill was passed. At that point, l referred to the Act as a time bomb.
“I also said that there would still be a serious crisis between the oil producing communities and oil companies and by extension, the federal government. One of such indications is that the federal government in that Act successfully excluded the state and local governments to deal directly with the communities.
“In recent times, we have started seeing a crisis between the communities and oil companies over the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and other issues. And the state governments have been called to intervene. So that Act needs further amendment.”
Speaking further, Diri noted that his admnistration will not support anyone involved in oil theft, illegall oil refining or any illegal acts that is unfavourable to the general good of the people of the state.
He said, “While as a government, we would not support anybody involved in oil theft, illegal oil refining and all other acts that contribute to pollution, underdevelopment and killings, we would also like to state that the best way to tackle the issues is to fast-track development to these areas. We can assure you that these same people will become protectors of oil installations domiciled in the Niger Delta.”
