Bayelsa agency has brought harmony, resolve impasse between govt and oil multi-nationals

Sequel to previous impasse between oil multi-national and the state, the Director-General of the Bayelsa State Partnership Agency, Hon Stanley Braboke has said the establishment of the agency by Governor Seriake Dickson has brought harmony between host communities and oil-multinationals operating in the state.

Speaking with journalists in Yenagoa, Braboke said further that in line with the mandate of operation given to the inauguration of the agency, several cases unattended to have been revisited by the agency to avert possible breakdown of law and order between host communities, the government and oil multi-nationals operating in the state.

Accordingly, he posited that prior to the inauguration of the agency; some oil firms would sneak into the state and carry out their operation in the coastal communities without proper documentation with government in order to evade tax remittance.

Braboke averred that the agency after several meeting with major oil-multinationals and stakeholders in the industry have reached an agreement that henceforth operators of the system should inundate government of their presence and be properly documented to avoid clash with their host communities.

“Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) operating at the Gbarain oil-field area was taken to court by government for operation in the area without remitting tax to government” Braboke submitted

The Director-General explained that the agency would no longer tolerate impasse emanating from failed MOU, absence of EIA, refusal toclean spill sites, failure to live up to their socio-responsibility and tax evasion, that has robbed government revenue (IGR) running into billions of naira that could have been redeploy to develop oil bearing communities and the state in general.

He regretted that while some oil multi-nationals are enjoying uninterrupted power, portable drinking water, and road to their staff estate, areas occupied by their host communities have remain in darkness, while they drink from the same water they defecate with no accessible road to go to their farms within the communities.

He urged them to turn a new leaf and quit subjecting their host to slavery in their communities, adding that without peace in the community their operation would also suffer setback that could shut down their operation.

Braboke maintained that harmony could be attained with irate youths in
the communities only if they are given a sense of belonging, particularly by engaging and creating job to redress their grievances and redirect their energies into productive venture.

He, however, lauded the governor’s forthrightness and vision to nip in the board age-long impasse between oil firms and the state, epitomized by establishing the agency to interface with oil-multinationals operating in the  state.

To this end, the Director-General extolled the Governor Dickson’s prudence and financial discipline amidst recession that has kept the state afloat and still advancing the frontiers of development, particularly the world diagnostic centre, the state airport, age deep water seaport, road infrastructure, flyover, re-engineered education sector amongst others.