Igbuya, who spoke while addressing protesters from the Urhobo Ethnic Nationality Chapter of a goup, Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSTCOM), who staged a peaceful protest to the Assembly Complex in Asaba over the amendment, said that the bill aims to restructure the commission so as to be more effective as no ethnic nationality will be shortchanged in the new arrangement.
Going by the proposed amendment, the Office of Executive Secretary will be scrapped, while there will be Office of the Managing Director as well as creation of three Directorates to be headed by Executive Directors. The Chairman and Board members will be on part time basis.
Igbuya calmed the protesters, telling them that the leadership of the Commission will be patterned in line with what obtains in the Niger
Delta Development Commission (NDDC), disclosing that in the amendment, Gas producing communities and impacted oil explorations communities would be accommodated unlike the existing law which only accommodate Oil producing communities.
The Speaker said the ethnic nationalities rotational arrangement of offices in the existing law is to be retained in the amendment, urging
the Urhobos not to entertain any fear in that direction.
He said there would be public hearing on the proposed amendment bill for the inputs of stakeholders.
The spokespersons of the protesters, Chief Femi Agbokoko and Mr Gift Ileleji said the amendment bill was anti Oil and Gas producing
communities in the state amongst other complaints.
He expressed the fear that the Urhobo nation whose turn it was to produce the next Chairman of DESOPADEC will be shortchanged by the amendment and stressed the need to allow the inputs of stakeholders, particularly, HOSTCOM in the proposed amendment.
