…calls for concerted effort in fight against oil bunkering
Yenagoa—The Bayelsa State Government has wailed about the dwindling revenue accruing to the state from the Federation Account in recent times, Punch newspaper reports.
The deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, made this known during a meeting with youth leaders from the Ogbia Local Government Area of the state in Government House, Yenagoa.
He said the quantity of oil produced by the state had significantly dropped because several oil wells in the state were not operating optimally.
He blamed the drop in federal allocations on the activities of oil bunkers and the unnecessary stoppage of the operations of oil companies by host communities.
In his words: “As I speak with you, our revenues are dropping rapidly. About 40 percent of our oil wells in the state are reporting zero production and you know what that means.”
He said the Douye Diri-led administration in the state would not support the oil companies to short-change their host communities but the people will have to do better in engaging the government for amicable settlement instead of the usual disruption of oil production activities of companies.
He noted that the state apart from the 13 percent oil derivation does not benefit from other parameters used by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission for revenue sharing.
Ewhrudjakpo, however, called on the youths to support the fight against oil bunkering, illegal refining and other unwholesome activities that impact negatively on oil production and revenues accruing to the state.
He argued that it was hypocritical of people from the region to complain against environmental degradation caused by oil companies when they contribute to it through illegal refining of crude oil.
The deputy governor said: “We need to stop this, and it demands our collective efforts. Our youths should not at the slightest provocation go and block oil flow stations and manifolds because it is what they produce from those flow stations that accumulate to become 13 percent derivation.
“Every other indicator for sharing revenue is skewed against Bayelsa State. So, we cannot afford to use our own hands to injure ourselves and be complaining at the same time.”
In their separate remarks, the state Commissioner of Police, Benjamin Okolo, a representative of Sector 2 Commander of Operation Delta Safe, Major Daniel Nienge, and other service commanders in the state called for credible and real-time intelligence for the security operatives to work with.
