Politics
Rep Criticises NLNG Over Bonny School Project
Federal legislator representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Farah Dagogo, has condemned the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG over the cancellation of the N4.5billion Model School project in Bonny Island, Rivers State.
Hon. Dagogo’s condemnation follows a plan by the NLNG to abandon the funding and building of Bonny Model School which was estimated at N4.5 billion.
According to the lawmaker, the tripartite agreement reached between the NLNG, the Rivers State Government and Tianjin Energy Resources Limited is also threatened and may be breached.
Bonny Island is home to NLNG’s train operation which has a nameplate capacity producing millions of tons of liquefied natural gas per annum that is shipped to buyers in markets across the world.
However, the Federal Lawmaker said the fate of the school was in the balance following the resolution and approval of the NLNG’s third quarter meeting of this year by the Board for the ‘discontinuation of the Bonny Model School ‘ which he described as another manifestation of ‘perpetual slavery attitude’.
Dagogo expressed dismay with the disposition of NLNG to the people of Bonny and the Niger Delta region at large, wondering ‘what is N4.5billion compared to the exploitation, exploration, degradation and the gas being flared in that health, harzard implication.
He said just as NLNG was planning the expansion from its current Train 7 to 15, the living conditions of the people and environment where the resources were exploited should be catered for.
“ It is disheartening and painful that all NLNG, and other major players in the oil sectors, are interested in is to reel out big profits and margins while the people in their areas of operations are made to bear the brunt of their hazardous mode of operations.
“For several decades, they have caused more harms than good to the people. Their claims of joining the rest of the world to achieve a cleaner energy that will protect the planet are all hogwash and hollow designed to play on our intelligence as their actions have proven that they are working in the contrary.
“ It tells you the level of regard NLNG has for the people, if a project of mere N4.5billion could be discontinued, a school project at that, in an area they make billions of dollars. Our people are always at the receiving end, exposed to several health hazards, the environment has been totally debased with the future at very grave risk. And when they make effort to give back a very minute, very little, of what they have exploited they make a big deal of it. That perpetual slavery attitude manifest”, he said.
He however, said efforts were on to safeguard the future of the people through legislative applications.
“ Oil exploration, gas flaring and what have you are having their effects on not only the people but on the environment as well. The earth is sagging due to enormous pressure and we have to secure the future, beginning from now. Already I have a bill to that effect that has been transmitted to the leadership of the House. This bill titled “Niger Delta Natural Disaster Reserved Fund Bill, 2020”.