By
Hon Marshall Israel
It depends on the agreement between Oil Companies and the State Government.
Sometimes, they pay part of their Corporate Social responsibility in cash to the State Government.
If that's the case, host Communities will be at the mercy of Oil Companies.
That's why Oil Companies in recent times hardly build roads, Schools, hospitals and health Centers for their host Communities.
State Government may have collected the money at source as huge revenue from the Oil Companies.
And that's why Host Communities finds it difficult to get Government attention against the Oil Companies because they are collaborators.
The only solution is for the Host Community leaders to selflessly unite and speak with one voice against the predators.
When the Preys are United against the predators, the predators will become the Preys.
Also, If some Oil Companies tell you how much they pay as development levy to the State and Local Govt, you will be surprised.
Note that development levies are different from revenues.
Yet oil producing Communities in the South South appears to be the poorest in all ramification. Some are living stone age lives.
They suffer the health and environmental hazards associated with oil company activities with little or nothing to compensate for their deprivation.
Between year 2004 till date, a multinational Oil Company claimed to have spent over $6b through an agency to FasTrack development in the Niger Delta.
If you know the Naira equivalent of $6b, you will understand why I am in pain. Where is the money?
The little money or palliative measures that finally gets to the host Communities ends up in the pockets of some Chiefs, Youth leaders, Community Liaison Officers, traditional rulers and indigent Government officials.
While I blame the Oil Companies for not doing enough for the Host Communities in the Niger Delta, where is the little they have done?
An Oil Company wanted to build road for a particular host Community in Rivers State, the Community Chiefs and traditional rulers forced the company to give it to them as contract and the company obliged and paid 75%. They shared the money and abandoned the road. This resulted to serious crisis in the community.
Some Community leaders will prefer the money be giving to them to execute Community development Projects than allowing the Oil Companies do it. Because they will embezzle the money.
In the course of my job as Federal Commissioner in the Public Complaints Commission, I have come to realize that the economic crime and total neglect of the Host Communities is a function of three factors; The Oil Companies themselves, The Federal, State/Local Government, and Representatives of Host Communities.
These three factors or entities are collaborators. They work together to milk the Host Communities. That's why despite Community crisis in some Host Communities because of oil revenue, it doesn't stop exploration, drilling and oil Company operations in those Communities.
This wickedness and injustice against the host Communities didn't start today. It is an aged long system and to break it requires divine intervention, sacrifice and Commitment.
Marshall Israel,
Federal Commissioner,
Public Complaints Commission, speaking in an interactive session with Host Communities and Oil Companies' Representatives.
Portharcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
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