House Kicks Against Motion Calling on Oil Companies to Establish Offices in the Niger Delta

The House of Representatives has kicked against a motion calling on oil companies to establish operational/administrative offices in the Niger Delta after a motion by Hon. Opiah Goodluck Nanah (PDP:Imo) titled “Calling Oil Companies to Establish Operational/Administrative Offices in the Niger Delta Area where they engage in Exploration and Exploitation” was presented at the plenary session of Tuesday, May 2^nd 2017. In the motion, Hon. Nanah stated that the establishment of offices outside their areas of operations resulted to making policy decisions that do not address the effect of the exploratory and exploitative activities of their host communities.

Hon. Nanah further noted that despite oil companies often having non-resident administrative officers who report back complaints made by the host communities, the failure to directly address their issues could threaten governments efforts to bring peace in the Niger Delta region and disrupt peaceful co-existence between these communities and oil companies.

However, Majority Leader Hon Femi Gbajabiamila (APC: Lagos) strongly opposed this view explaining that the National Assembly could not dictate how International Oil Companies carry out its mode of operations particularly with the security challenges they faced in the region. The view of the majority leader was largely adopted as majority of lawmakers opposed the motion in an extensive debate before it was finally rejected when put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara(APC: Bauchi).