Business
Host Community Rights; Finima Vows To Push On
Finima Community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State has vowed to continue to push on for their rights as Host community to the Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited, and other Multinational Oil Companies, until what they deserve is given to them.
They decried the rate of injustice and negligence by the Multinationals and the NLNG over the years, which, they said, was aggravated by inability of the Nigerian Content Development and Management Board (NCDMB) to compel these companies to do the needful.
Speaking to journalists on arrival at the Port Harcourt International Airport at the weekend, while reacting to the recent judgement given in favour of his community, the Amadabo of Finima, Chief Dagogo Brown, said the judgement was a kind of recompense for injustice to the people of Finima.
He said the people sacrificed their ancestral home for the NLNG to be put in place, but regretted that the community was not fairly treated, starting from their resettlement, to where they are now.
“They have been denying us of the benefits that are acruable to host Community, and even the NCDMB has refused to reach out to these Multinationals.
“The essence of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is to ensure that communities where oil and gas facilities pass through have direct benefits in order to assuag all these restiveness in the Niger Delta.
“It is disappointing to note that NCDMB is not reaching out to these companies to implement all these benefits that host communities, pipeline communities, and impacted communities are supposed to get.
“If you don’t reach out to them, restiveness will continue, because they are the people living with the pipeline facilities.
“You can imagine, Finima Community for the past 30 years has been denied of the benefits of host community, and even our resettlement was not in tandem with the global best practice.
“So we see the recent Federal High Court in Abuja as a recompense for injustice, and we say to God be the glory, and we will continue to push, until what we deserve is given to us.
“We are very happy with the judgement, and a lot of things will come out of it. It is victory not only for Finima, but for entire Bonny kingdom”, the Amadabo said.
By: Corlins Walter