Group Picks Hole In FG’s Extractive Laws

A Port Harcourt based pressure group, the Niger Delta Activists Forum (NDAF), has described as discriminatory the Federal Government’s policy to allow Zamfara State mine gold found in the area for commerce while disallowing the Niger Delta from doing the same to its oil resources.
The group has, therefore, called on the Federal Government to hand over the sale of oil to the people of the Niger Delta.
The group made this position known in a statement by its National President, Mr Success Jack, urging the Federal Government to hand over the operation of onshore and offshore oil blocks to the people in the region.
Jack expressed surprise that the Federal Government would allow Zamfara State to mine gold for commercial purposes while disallowing the Niger Delta region from exploring its oil for sale.
He noted that there were two opposing sets of the Extractive Industry law operating in the country: the Petroleum Act and the Mining Act.
According to him, while one set of the law restricts the people from processing the oil found on their lands for sale, the other law allows a state to mine its gold for commercial purposes.
He described as double standard the unwillingness of the Federal Government to accede to the demand of the Niger Delta to allow the federating units own and control their God given resources and pay an agreed tax to the centre in line with the practice of true federalism.
He said it was a breach of the Nigeria’s Constitution which places mineral resources on the exclusive list for Zamfara State Government to mine gold in its domain in commercial quantities.
Meanwhile, the group has urged the Federal Government to reverse the recent hike in the pump price of petrol and relieve Nigerians of its untold hardships.

By: Tonye Nria-Dappa