Reps read riot act to private companies for prohibiting govt officials from performing duties

The House of Representatives on Thursday warned management of all private companies including oil and gas companies operating in Nigeria to desist from prohibiting government officials from carrying out their statutory obligations including the ongoing Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) being carried out by National Population Commission (NPC).

The resolution was passed sequel to the adoption of a motion: ‘Need for Companies and Enterprises operating in Nigeria to key into the programmes and projects of the National Population Commission (NPC)’ sponsored by Hon. Preye Oseke.

In his lead debate, Hon. Oseke who called for the House intervention, frowned at the recalcitrant attitude of officials of the oil companies and other private sector.

“The House notes that sovereign states routinely conduct census, being an overall process of collecting, processing, tabulating, analyzing and publishing demographic, economic and social data of the population and housing units, among other activities.

“The House also notes that successful conduct of census must be based on functional maps produced during an Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD), a capital-intensive and painstaking activity which the National Population Commission.

“The House is aware that the ongoing 2022 EAD which will end in a few weeks is the fourth time pre-census mapping has been carried out in Nigeria, the others being in 1973, 1991 and 2006.

“The House is worried that companies and businesses operating within the territorial integrity of the Nigerian federation prohibit officials of the National Population Commission from carrying out this all-important exercise which serves as a feeder for election and planning purposes, amongst numerous other latent uses.

“The House is disturbed that should this negative disposition towards programmes of the Federal Government by companies and enterprises be allowed to continue, there is a high tendency of negating well-thought-out initiatives of the government for the public good.

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“The House is also disturbed that while few oil companies operating in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State allowed NPC personnel to access their respective company premises in carrying out the referenced nationwide exercise, others such as Shell Platform and Quarters in Oporoma, oil facilities owned by Conoil in Tamazor Koluama1, Agip facility in Ogboinbiri amongst numerous others have blatantly refused to comply.

“The House is cognizant that if the unpatriotic disposition of the Companies are not nipped in the board, the output of the EAD exercise in affected areas will be grossly erroneous, and as such all other corresponding actions based on same will be equally misleading,” he noted.

In the bid to address the challenges, the House mandated the joint Committees on Population and National Planning and Economic Development to invite the National Population Commission to examine the experience of its personnel in the conduct of the EAD and discuss ways of mitigating the challenges.

To this end, the House mandated the joint Committees on Commerce, Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream), and Industries to liaise with the various State Chambers of Industry, Mines and Agriculture to ensure that foreign and local companies, and enterprises operating in States key into the programmes and projects of the National Population Commission and report back to within three weeks for further legislative action.

Kehinde Akintola