PIB bill is a fraud, a coup against Southern Nigeria, citizen cries out

A concerned Citizen from Southern Nigeria has raised alarm over the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which is currently undergoing its last stages of approval at both the lower and upper legislative bodies of the Nigerian National Assembly.

ElombahNews had on July 1, 2021, reported that Lawmakers of the House of Representatives have, last week, passed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) 2021 for third reading.

Report of the Bill was laid for consideration before the House during plenary on Wednesday by Chairman of the House Ad hoc Committee on the PIB, Hon. Mohammed Tahir Mongunu.

Analyzing the Bill, the Citizen, who wrote to ElombahNews on condition of anonymity, insisted that the bill is both a fraud and a “pure coup” against the oil producing states and regions in particular, and the Southern Nigeria in general.

In his opinion, the content of the PIB bill was a ploy to further rob the South that produce the oil and pay the North that does not produce a single drop of oil.

He stated: “Firstly, the Senate cut down compensations payment for Host communities from 5% to 3% against the cries of southern Senators.

“Secondly, the Senate have redefined host community to mean any community that oil pipeline passes thru.

“By implication, host communities will now imply all states that don’t produce oil but have oil pipeline passing thru it.

“This automatically makes some Northern states that don’t produce oil to become host communities and henceforth benefit from compensations.

“Before now, host communities were communities that produce oil or have petroleum facilities/ installations in their land.

“Thirdly, the Senate came up with a new Fraudulent jargon called “Frontier Exploration”, for which they have earmarked 30% of NNPC profits to be servicing these Frontier Explorations yearly.

“Mind you, all the so called Frontier Exploration projects are domiciled in the North:- Chad basin, Borno etc.

“So automatically, 30% or more (totally about 48%) of NNPC profits will be going to the North that do not produce a single drop of oil, while the remaining will be shared be the Federating States.

“Please, tell me, what else is the best definition of FRAUD?” he asked.

Our correspondent also expressed worries that, while many Southern Senators failed to stop this robbery of a bill on the floor of NASS, many Southern Nigerians are busy celebrating the passage of this fraudulent PIB because they do not know the content of the bill.

He further alerted that once this PIB is ratified on the Joint session of Senate and House of Representative, it automatically becomes a law once President Muhammadu Buhari “gladly” signs it off.

From thence on, he said, “the North will fight tooth and nail and resist any attempt to amend it.

“This is how the North have been robbing the South , and enjoying more from oil proceeds since independence.

“If you ask me, I would say Southerners should call their Representatives and Lawmakers at the National Assembly to reject the ratification of that PIB but call for proper amendment before ratification when they have joint session,” he concluded.

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