PIA: A’IBOM SPEAKER TASKS HOST COMMUNITIES ON COMPLIANCE

Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Aniekan Bassey, has charged oil producing communities in Nigeria to be strict in their compliance to the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).

The Speaker made this know on Thursday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, where he attended a workshop organized by CODE and OXFAM for oil producing communities in Nigeria.

Represented by the Deputy Leader of the House and Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Barrister Aniefiok Dennis Akpan, the Speaker stressed the need for host communities to also be strict in the areas of forming committees and representation.”

He said “Section 235 of the Act has provided for the incorporation of Host Communities Development Trusts. So, host communities take advantage of this and carry out same without delay or rancor. And in going about this, host communities must also be strict in the setting up of committees and people of integrity should be considered into such committees. Infighting should be eschewed completely.”

The event was themed “Advocating for Transparent for Transparent, Accountable and Transformative Development of Marginalized Communities.”

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