By Festus Ahon
UGHELLI — THE Delta State chapter of Host Communities of Nigeria, HOSTCOM, has dragged the State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC, and the state government before a Delta State High Court sitting in Warri, over alleged marginalisation of oil host communities in the state.

HOSTCOM in the suit by its chairman, Mr. Benjamin Iwetan and six others on behalf of themselves and the host communities, are contending that it was the statutory responsibility and mandate of DESOPADEC to develop the oil producing communities and their citizens. According to them, the Commission was supposed to be consulting and collaborating with the oil producing communities on matters relating to identification and selection of projects to be executed in the host communities.

They alleged that the Commission and the state government were not making judicious use of funds accruing to the commission, accusing the commission of being  involved in over inflation of contracts.

The oil host communities accused the state governor of withholding and diverted parts of the fund accruing to them through the Commission, adding: “such act has adversely affected the socio-economic development of the oil producing communities”.