By OKEY NDIRIBE

National Assembly has been urged to redefine the nomenclature of host communities as contained in the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, to include communities in which petroleum facilities are accommodated.

This proposal was made, yesterday, by Lagos State Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Engr. Taofeek Tijani, during his presentation to the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on PIB, which held a public hearing for the South-West Zone in Lagos.

Tijani represented Governor Babatunde Fashola at the occasion.

Tijani explained that communities in which petroleum facilities, including pipelines, tank farms and depots are located were often subjected to conditions similar to that faced by oil producing areas when pipeline vandalism, oil spillage and gas flaring occur.

In her remarks, the representative of Environmental Rights Action, ERA, Betty Abah, alerted the committee about the plight of Badagry residents, who now face same situation as residents of Niger Delta communities.

due to ongoing gas flaring in the area, adding that the people were already complaining about the environmental impact of the activities of the gas companies.

A representative of the Major Oil Marketers, MOMAN, who spoke at the event complained about the phenomenon of multiple taxation which members of the group are presently facing.

He cited instances of how agencies under different tiers of government had been imposing various taxes on oil marketers across the country.