By Samuel Oyadongha

The Chairman of the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSCOM) Bayelsa State chapter, Chief Bob Nabena, has said that the establishment of the Bayelsa State Oil-Producing Areas Development Commission (BASOPADEC) would help in ridding the creeks of illegal refinery operators.

Lamenting what he described as ‘the large scale self-inflicted environmental degradation’ by oil thieves and illegal refinery operators in the state, the HOSCOM boss blamed the development on the endemic poverty among the rural people.

Chief Nabena in an interview with Vanguard in Yenagoa noted that though the group and the past administration were at loggerheads over the creation of the agency, he expressed optimism that the Seriake Dickson-led administration would hearken to the demand of the HOSCOM by establishing BASOPADEC.

This, according to him, will not only accelerate development in the oil-producing communities but also help curb illegal refinery operations as the rural enclave will become a huge construction yard with the people meaningfully engaged.

Hon Seriake Dickson

HOSCOM, he noted, had done a detailed study on how best to curb the activities of  illegal refinery operators who are not only exploiting the poverty situation in the communities to cajole the locals in supporting their nefarious trade but are also further compounding the woes of the already fragile environment.

Convinced that the establishment of BASOPADEC will stimulate economic activities in the rural communities, he said “the money to fund the communities is from the fund due to host communities.”

According to him: “We are only asking that 50 per cent of the derivation funds, accruing to the state from the Federation Account be utilised to fund communities. That will ensure free medical clinics for host communities, micro- credit loans to the women, youth and even the men to embark on small scale businesses, scholarships for our youths in schools and those yet to gain admission, within and outside the country.

“Also it will encompass skills acquisition that will train and retrain the youths for viable employment generally. Above all, it will provide gainful employment for the host communities apart from them also being on the board and management of BASOPADEC.

“It will ensure that all communities in Bayelsa State live a very comfortable life with all the basic necessities in place, particularly standard habits, good and safe environment and it will discourage the people from accommodating illegal refinery operators to operate in their environment.”

He recalled that when the HOSCOM executives were inaugurated in the communities, it was clearly spelt out that they should not encourage illegal refineries and pipeline vandalisation in their respective communities because of the adverse impact on the environment.

On environmental despoliation in the rural enclave occasioned by the activities of illegal refinery operators, he said: “Anywhere crude oil touches the ground, nothing grows on the ground again. Now they use unauthorised vessels and wooden boats to steal crude oil from the pipelines and these things are leaking as they convey their consignment from the creeks to their illegal refining points and in the process, they pollute the whole water.

“When they now get to their location, because they don’t even have the technology to transfer the crude oil, they resort to their crude technology in getting it to where the cooking is done and the process of cooking, a whole lot of things happen, fire hazard, the crude oil itself spill all over the ground, some of the people cooking this crude are by accident roasted alive.”