RVHA Assures Investors Of Just Laws

Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Rt. Hon.
Otelemaba Amachree, has assured investors that the Assembly is determined to
continue to make laws that would create the enabling environment for businesses
to strive in Rivers State.

Hon. Amachree gave this indication Tuesday at the 3rd Port
Harcourt International Oil and gas conference/Exhibition organised by the
Assembly House Committee on Oil and Gas Resources in collaboration with the
Port Harocurt Chamber of Commerce, mines and Agriculture (PHCCIMA).

The Speaker who was represented by the Chairman House
Committee on Information and Training Hon. Onari Brown, said State laws would
be proactive to allow lawful business that concerns to operate without
hindrances.

He, however, condemned, the refusal of some oil companies
with dominant operations in Rivers State to relocate their headquarters to Port
Harcourt, stressing that the attitude was denying Rivers people benefit of
hosting such oil companies.

The lawmaker, used the opportunity to call on the regulators
and operators of the industry to apply best practices in order to ensure that
the gains associated with the industry was achieved, while calling on the
Nigerian content development Board to give priority attention to human resource
development of Nigerians.

The Rivers State Governor represented by the Commissioner
for Energy and Natural resources Hon. Okey Amadi, lamented the incessant
shortage of Petroleum products inspite of the country’s position as one of the
world’s largest producer of crude oil.

He noted that lack of refinery to refine products has
resulted in several illegal bunkering activities, adulteration and urged the
operators in the industry to build capacity as well as proffer solution to the
problems of the sector.

The Commissioner hinted that the proposed Rivers State
refinery would be on steam as soon as the federal government issues the
licence, adding that the project is a public, private partnership (PPP), with
the state equity being the land.

Chairman House Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
Hon. Evans Bipi, said the wide dichotomy of oil wealth and lack of social
benefits to the oil bearing communities has come to be known as the “oil
curse”.

The lawmaker explained that social and environmental
challenges have occasioned acrimonious contestations and calls for resource
control, true federalism, readjustment in revenue sharing formula among others.

Chairman of the occasion and Amanganabo of Nembe Kingdom,
Dr. Edmund Daukoru, commended the State Assembly for the initiative that would
encourage Nigerians to invest in the oil sector of the economy, noting the
theme of the conference. The Nigerian content Act and Deregulation: issues and
prospects, was apt.

The Royal father charged politicians to live up to their
responsibilities of explaining the laws and policies of government to their
constituents for understanding to enable them participate actively.