By Emma Amaize

ASABA—HOST Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas, HOSTCOM, Delta State chapter, led by Benjamin Iwetan, has thrown its weight behind the plan by the governor of the state, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, to reform Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC.

Governor Uduaghan had sent a bill to the state House of Assembly for the establishment of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Commission, Five Ethnic Nationalities Oil Producing Development Agencies, Five Ethnic Nationalities Producing Areas Investment Corporations and Other Matters Connected Therewith.”

The bill, which has passed first reading, will come up for second reading tomorrow.  But, the national leadership of HOSTOCOM, headed by Prince Maikpobi Okareme, is opposed to the bill, saying that the governor wants to scrap DESOPADEC.

Differing with its national leadership, Delta HOSTCOM in a letter, dated April 24, to the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, called for speedy passage of the bill, saying: “We have thoroughly studied the 29-page bill and hereby state that it is in consonance with our objectives, hopes and aspirations as oil and gas producing ethnic nationalities in the state.”

He said that the bill if passed into law would fast track development of oil producing communities, adding that Ika and Aniocha ethnic nationalities should be incorporated into DESOPADEC, its agencies and corporations since significant exploration and exploitation of oil and gas had begun in the areas. “We also sue for proper and accurate assessment of quantities of oil and gas produced in these areas,” he added.