National Council on Niger Delta (NCND) has urged the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs to propose an Executive bill to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to amend Sections 103 and 104 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to facilitate the remittance of gas flare penalty into a trust fund for easy administration.
The Chairman of the council and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Umana Okon Umana in a communique issued Tuesday in Abuja said the conclusion was reached after the fifth meeting of the council in Akwa Ibom state.
According to Umana the council also mandated the Ministry and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to engage relevant Stakeholders in the Gas Industry and canvass for the modification of the NLNG
Train 7 Project design to accommodate the creation of a South-South Gas Node.
He further disclosed that the Council also approved the development of a regional policy to address the menace of black soot and other air pollution-induced activities.
The communique reads in part: “Also, the Council approved the establishment of Medical Waste Incinerators and Thermal Desorption Units (TDU) by the nine States to facilitate treatments of hazardous medical and industrial wastes, the establishment of pilot programmes for water hyacinth/invasive water weeds by the MNDA and NDDC in collaboration with Private sector in selected communities impacted by its proliferation.
Furthermore, the Council approved “the establishment of Private sector driven Ferry Services in the riverine states to complement road transport, the intervention of MNDA/NDDC and other IOCs in the Region in the provision of infrastructural facilities to the Port Harcourt International Trade complex.
“Local and international investors operating in the region, as well as State Governments, were asked to submit viable proposals for more road projects geared at embracing Executive Order 7 of 2019 on Road Infrastructure Development Scheme in the Niger Delta Region in line with the current Medium-Term Plan 2021-2025 of the Federal Government.
The Council further urged “the ministry and the NDDC and the nine states in the region to complement the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs on its programmes for rural women in the Niger Delta region such as Liquefied Petroleum Gas use, Economic Tree Planting Programme, improved Agribusiness and financial inclusion to mitigate the adverse effect of climate change in the Niger Delta Region.
The ministry and the nine states in the Region to evolve a policy framework for a holistic stakeholder approach towards the conservation and protection of the Niger Delta rainforest, mangrove swamp and endangered flora and fauna species, the nine states in the Region to cooperate and commit to the implementation of the Uniform Addressing System Programme of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs;
“The nine states in the Region to prioritise investments and support for agriculture to encourage dry season farming through irrigation, modern farming methods, and access of arable lands to avert threats to food security;
“The ministry and other relevant stakeholders to collaborate and develop a security framework for participatory incident reporting to strengthen rural-urban security in the Niger Delta Region; and the MNDA and the Nine (9) States in the Region to initiate a platform to facilitate the Organised Private Sector to establish modular refinery using the model of the Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining initiative,” the Communiqué stated.” (Guardian)