The National President of the Host Communities of Oil and Gas producing states (HOSCON), Dr. Mike Emuh.
Dr. Mike Emuh, is the National President of the Host Communities of Oil and Gas producing states (HOSCON) in this interview with Raphael Ekpang spoke on issues affecting his association, the plight of host communities, misuse of 13 percent derivation by governors as well as the creation of the Host Communities Commission. Excerpts:
You did mention during your presentation that the 13 per cent derivation which the law says should be given to host communities of oil and gas producing states have not been giving to them. Who then is collecting the money on your behalf?
Honestly, it is an error, it is injustice and it is illegal that the amended 1999 constitution; section 162 sub-section 2 made it very clear that 13 per cent derivation is for the host communities for the loss of their fishing rights, farmland etc, but former President Olusegun Obasanjo made the mistake by giving the 13 per cent derivation to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governors and since then till today governors of the Niger Delta have got hold of the derivation, but when we realized that we protested to the presidency and as a result of our protest, our agitation for the derivation to be giving to the host communities, we also asked for upward review of 20, 50 per cent of all our resource control. Obasanjo saw the need, as a result, created Social Economic Council for the Coastal States and invited all the governors from the oil-producing states and instructed them to create an Oil Area Development Commission which Delta State created and allocated 50 per cent of the 13 per cent derivation to the Delta State Oil Development Commission. Ondo state did the same, Edo state did, Imo state did and Abia state did also, but up till date, the government of Rivers State right from the time of Peter Odili till date has ignored the order of Obasanjo and never did that. Akwa Ibom and the Bayelsa States never did that also and it is against the law. The law says that the 13 per cent derivation should be giving to the host communities and not the states, so we are here to ask the National Assembly to amend that section of the constitution so that in the amendment they should create Host Communities Commission. So that whatsoever is meant for the host communities to go to that commission so that it can develop the communities that have been abandoned for so long now.
It is erroneous that the 13 per cent derivation is given to state governors of the oil-producing states. There is no law in Nigeria that says the derivation should be given to governors of oil-producing states. In view of this, we cried to President Muhammadu Buhari on the 14th of December, 2018 and he assured us that he will look into the issue of the 13 per cent derivation. In fact, it is erroneous that the 13percent derivation is still in the hands of the governors from the oil-producing states-they are using the money to develop only the state capitals and keep the rest in their pockets. The governors of the Niger Delta region have received over N44 trillion for the past twenty years on derivation yet we have not seen the money that was meant for us, the host communities, so what we are saying is that we are not really against the governors, it was Obasanjo that made the mistake in the first place so we believe that President Buhari can correct that mistake so that the derivation can be paid directly to the host communities.
You said, Obasanjo gave the money to the governors because they were all PDP governors, now that we have both APC and PDP governors leading oil-producing states, what do you expect from President Buhari.
Thank you for that question, that is why we are saying that now that we have both PDP and APC governors in the region President Buhari should as a matter of urgency redirect the money to the host communities so that he will not be empowering his enemies again because in politics you don’t empower your enemies, so when PDP was controlling the wealth of the oil-producing states they were controlling the host communities too, but the host communities that I am their national president suffered so much in their leadership. Though we are still suffering up till today but I believe that my life is not in the hands of any governor, so they can be there as long as they want but one day they will live and we also believe strongly that President Buhari through the 9th National Assembly will redirect the 13 per cent derivation to the host communities.
The same thing with Gas flaring money, up till today the gas flare money contain by the IOC, to the DPR and to the CBN we are yet to enjoy the money which is as a result of industrial pollution, environmental degradation, corrosion, acidic rate, health hazard and so on-these monies should be given directly to the host communities. Today out of the six geo-political zones in Nigeria the most peaceful zone is the South-South. That is achieved because we the host communities we are peaceful.
Are you saying that if the 13 per cent derivation and the Gas flaring money is giving directly to the host communities, there would be massive development in the Niger Delta region?
Basically, God does not make mistakes. God gave the oil and gas to the owners to help them, he did not give it to us to destroy us, but because the governors have chosen to act against the wishes of God on the host communities, the eco-system is now destroying us, the industrial pollution is everywhere that is why we are saying they should give us the derivation and the gas flare money directly so that we can turn host communities to semi-London. We’ll industrialize the Niger Delta region, we will go into Agriculture and by that, we would be able to solve most issues of diversification from oil and gas to mechanize agriculture. We’ll create jobs for our women and the youths of the region that is why we are saying Buhari should give us the gas flaring money and 13percent derivation and we will better the lives of our people.
Do you think the governors of the oil-producing states will support these agitations?
The governors of the Niger Delta oil-producing states will never join hands with us because they feel we want to remove oil from their mouth. This money does not belong to them. They are receiving over N5 to N10billion every month that does not belong to them and add to the one that belongs to them, how would they want to relinquish to the rightful owners? If we take them to court they have the money to bribe over the entire judiciary so what can you do to such persons, they have everything but thank God the judiciary will stand out one day for justice
Do you also believe that the Federal Government has the political will to redirect the 13 per cent derivation and the gas flaring money to the host communities?
The HOSTCOM strongly believe that President Buhari and the 9th National Assembly did not only have the political will but will affect the changes as soon as possible. The laws of the land are there for everyone to see that the derivation is to be given to the host communities and not the governors so for clarity of doubt, the money, if redirected to us, we are asking the National Assembly to amend section 162 sub-section 2 to accommodate the creation of Host Communities Commission with that you will agree with me that the money will be going down to the host communities as it was intended.
It’s nice talking to us
It is my pleasure.
