Why Niger Delta Congress Rejected The PIB Passed By NASS

The Niger Delta Congress (NDC) has rejected the recently enacted Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), calling it as the antics of robbers in the National Assembly and a weapon to “plunder resources” and “enslave” the Niger Delta people.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that after a 12-year wait, the National Assembly enacted the Petroleum Industry Bill, granting 3% for host towns.

The Niger Delta Congress (NDC) opposed the Bill’s passing in a statement issued by its acting spokesperson, Ovunda C. Eni, claiming it is a vehicle for further theft of the region’s resources.

“The Niger Delta Congress is not surprised by the passing of the Petroleum Industry Bill by both chambers of the National Assembly.

“This, as expected, is only a new legislation to be added to other legislations that have been used as tools to plunder our land and resources, and to further enslave our people; and a new addition to the plethora of reasons for the upcoming Niger Delta Peoples Conference slated for the 8th and 9th of October 2021,” the statement reads in part.

The group accused some Niger Delta politicians of playing a treacherous role in the Bill’s passage, claiming that the PIB is no different from the faulty 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

“The PIB, like the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, is a criminal document to us since we never agreed to it, and its enforcement can only happen by force, not with the agreement of our people,” the NDC stated.

The NDC dismissed the PIB as a thief’s antics in the National Assembly, claiming that with the Bill, oil firms in the region are engaging in legalized theft, adding that the issue will be debated at the upcoming Niger Delta Conference.

“We will also take use of this opportunity to warn oil firms operating in the Niger Delta that what they are doing is legalized robbery, which is also an act of aggression.

The NDC urges Niger Delta residents to “focus on the approaching Niger Delta Peoples Conference, when we will jointly decide on our destiny as a people, rather than being distracted by the antics of honorable thieves and their appendages in our midst,” according to the statement.