Niger Delta activist, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor has given the Delta State Government one week to repeal the new Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC law signed by the state governor this week or face court action.
Briefing stakeholders in Warri, yesterday, Chief Lori-Ogbebor, said the law as it were is unconstitutional, as the struggle was no longer about amendment of the law. She said: “No law supersedes the laws of the constitution of Nigeria. The law which guarantees 13 percent derivation made it clear that the 13 percent is strictly for the development of oil producing communities. There is no ambiguity to it.
“When the law came into force, affected state governments were not putting the money in the oil communities. We fought them to comply and they brought oil commissions which allocated 50 percent of the 13 percent to the communities. I strongly believe that DESOPADEC since inception has never even received 50 per cent but if they did, the politicians have been stealing the money.
“DESOPADEC law is obnoxious. I reject it because the law where they give you and you don’t give it out properly as the law provides is unacceptable. The constitution stipulates the whole 13 per cent be devoted to caring for oil communities and their degraded environment.
“So, from today, we demand the Delta State Government to repeal this obnoxious DESOPADEC law. If they fail to listen to the voice of the people, we will take them to court to ensure that the right thing was done,” she added.
Present at the briefing were the National chairman, Host Communities of Nigeria, HOSTCOM, Bishop Mike Emu, Delta chapter chairman, Benjamin Iwetan, former Delta Sport Commissioner, Newuwumi Omolubi, Iteskiri National Youth Council president, Esimaje Awani among others.
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