From Aidoghie Paulinus And Olivia Kalu, Abuja
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani, has said, henceforth, the Federal Government will ensure benefit accruing to indigenes of the Niger Delta is transparently disbursed.
Uguru spoke in Abuja during a meeting with the nine governors of the Niger Delta and chief executives of international oil and gas companies in the region.
Being the third in 2017, the meeting had none of the governors in attendance except their representatives, even as the minister said the platform was established to coordinate development programmes and affairs of the region.
The essence, he said, was to see that whatever any party was doing in terms of developing the region, other party would be aware.
“And that would then be the basis of formulation of all of us to be sure that we eliminate duplication, thus waste of resources.
“What the executive secretary of Local Content Board has said will apply to us whereby by deliberate policy, these things would be formulated in a manner that whatever accrues to a community, everybody would know.
“So, false claims would no longer be tenable because we would want the communities to be involved in a manner that whatever gains from what they are executing in the region, goes down to the benefit of the indigenes of the communities.
“We want to assure you, international and local oil companies available here, definitely, you are going to see a change in the method of operation,” Uguru said.
Uguru added that following the new ways of administering the region, no more kingpins would take what belonged to the people.
He said: “From now, I want to assure you, no more kingpins coming to take what belongs to the people. No more one big man coming to take everything and telling you without me, the community would no more be,” Uguru stated.
Asked about the current situation of the directive by the acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, in Uyo that oil companies should relocate their head offices to the Niger Delta region, Uguru said in one of their meetings, the question came up and a chief executive officer (CEO) said the relocation was just a rumour and that the headquarters of their corporate organisations were still where they have been.
Uguru said: “I am not speaking for them, but this is what I heard them say. So, I would wish that if you have any further curiosity, I don’t want us to provoke it on this platform. You waylay them. You know how to catch them.”
On his part, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, Simbi Wabote, said the meeting was what he had been yearning for.
He said the efforts being put together by the bodies would bring about transparency if they are able to aggregate all the interventions currently ongoing.