Juliana Francis
Publish What You Pay (PWYP), Nigeria, Southeast zone, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) working in the extractive sector has decried the lack of accountability and transparency in the ongoing Gas flaring and commercialisation project in states in the South East.
According to PWYP, it should be noted that the creation of the Nigeria Gas Flaring and Commercialization Project (NGFCP) in 2016 and the call for companies to apply and pay associated fees by the defunct DPR now Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) was an outcome of advocacy and engagement of the #stopgasflaring and #ogutachoroku championed by the above civil society group, and the several advocacy visits to the then Minister of State for petroleum resources, Dr Ibe Kachukwu.
It further stated: “It is on record that a company, known as BDRMCR Consortium, first applied for the contract,
and went to the Oguta community in Imo state and secured gas flaring sites, and locations to site a modular refinery, fertiliser blending plant and LPG cooking gas plants, all as off-shoots of the NGFCP project.
“The Consortium afterwards got a letter of recommendation from the Oguta Traditional Rulers Council led by the Eze Igwe and other host community stakeholders. This process led to the second phase of the bidding process after 137 companies were shortlisted after their bidding process.
“Surprisingly, NUPRC abandoned the original bidding process which was already at the conclusion phase and started issuing fresh licenses to new, incompetent and non-performing companies to come and build and operate modular refineries, fertilizer blending plants and LPG plants in the NGFCP project.
“Furthermore, it is on record that the critical stakeholders from the host communities were not involved in the process as against the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA) 2021 and the provisions in the Host Community Development Trust Fund agreement.
“Therefore, it is surprising to ask why NUPRC has refused licenses to duly qualified and technically efficient applicants who scaled through the various stages of screening for gas flaring and commercialization projects in Imo and Abia states.”
The group demands to know if the NGFCP is meant for only some favoured states and why it appears that due processes are being subverted in preference for vested interests.
The group also opined that communities that are supposed to be primary beneficiaries of these projects have been denied their socio-economic rights and privileges because of the conflict of interests existing among the government and private sector players in the project.
The group therefore demanded: “Our Demands As a Civil Society Organization highly committed to ensuring transparent and accountable extractive and mining sector in Nigeria, we see the action of NUPRC as counterproductive, opaque and self-serving.
“Therefore, we demand that the Federal government and relevant Ministries and agencies provide a clear and comprehensive breakdown of all financial transactions, contracts, and agreements to the gas flaring and commercialisation projects in the Imo, Abia and Anambra states.
“We call on the Federal Government through the relevant Federal Ministries to conduct a thorough review of all contracts and agreements related to the project to identify any irregularities or potential conflicts of interest.
“We call for the public presentation of all environmental audits carried out by extractive companies in the region in the past five years and strategies for decommissioning projects at the end of their extractive operations. This is to ensure that the environment of the areas is sustainable and befitting for future generations.
“We are demanding that the government establish a robust monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure that projects in the region are implemented by international best practices and standards. No doubt, transparency and accountability are essential for ensuring that the gas flaring and commercialization projects benefit our communities and the environment.
“As CSOs, we will not stand idly by, while our natural resources and the environment are exploited without proper oversight and accountability, maximally benefiting our people and the host communities.
“We are also urging the state Governors of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo states and indeed all public officials and elected leaders from the zone at various legislative levels, and indeed, all concerned citizens in the South East region, to join in demanding contract transparency and accountability, especially in the gas flaring and commercialization projects in
the region.
“We believe that by working together, we shall ensure that the extractive sector benefits their host communities, the citizens, the environment, the region, and Nigeria at large.”
