Senators have given Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas a seven day deadline to appear before it to show cause why it has not paid compensation to communities in Rivers State. NLNG is said to have refusal to appear before its Committee to clear its name on allegations raised against it over Land compensation dispute with Rivers Communities between the multinational gas company and 73 communities in Rivers State, According to the Senate, NLNG will be made to face the consequences for failing to appear this time, just as it insisted that if the authorities of the NLNG fails to appear before its Ethics Committee within seven days, the company would be made to pay the sum of N18.448billion recommended by the panel as compensation to the 73 communities. The position of the Senate was sequel to the consideration of Senator Ayo Akinyelure, led Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition. The report was against the backdrop of a petition received from one Chief Enyinna Onuegbu on behalf of the communities located in Obiafu, Soku to Bonny, respectively.
The petitioners accused the NLNG of refusing to pay compensation for acquiring their land and loss of use of the affected land to Pipeline Right of Way (ROW) through the communities. The Rivers Communities had petitioned the Senate accusing NLNG of refusing to pay compensation for acquiring their land. While the Senate sets aside the recommendations of its Committee, it gave NLNG 7 days to appear before it with relevant evidence it had paid compensation to the affected communities. NLNG was incorporated as a Limited Liability company on May 27, 1989 to harness Nigeria’s vast natural gas resources for export. The consideration of the report was, however, stepped down midway by the chamber, pending the outcome of the summons on NLNG. In his presentation, Senator Akinyelure said that, “following the incorporation of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), it acquired landed properties in Rivers State in 1996 spanning over 210 kiln for use as its pipelines Right of Way (ROW) which ended at the export terminal of the NLNG in Finima Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He observed that the NLNG did not pay any compensation to the communities following acquisition of their land, said that the Committee found: “That following the incorporation of the Nigeria LNG (NLNG) limited, it acquired landed properties in Rivers State in 1996 spanning over 210km for use as its pipelines Right of Way (ROW) which ended at the export terminal of the NLNGin Finima Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State. “That there were over 73 communities and over 200 families whose hitherto agrarian source of livelihood were negatively impacted upon by the said acquisition. That NLNG neither proved nor showed evidence to the Committee that it paid compensation to the 73 communities for loss of use of their land to pipelines Right of Way (ROW; and that there was no Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the communities and the NLNG on future obligations in the name of Corporate Social Responsibility with the impacted communities.
“That there was evidence that oil companies such as Shell Petroleum Development Company, Totalfina, Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd, Agip Oil Corporation paid compensation for loss of use of land to their host communities; and That the communities were claiming the sum of N18,448,842,500.00 being compensation for the loss of use of their land as at May, 2020.” The President of the Senator Ahmad Lawan who issued the summon said, “Instead of just saying NLNG should go and pay 18 billion and at the end of the day nothing happens, let us give NLNG one more chance, and this should be by the Senate itself, not our committee.
I am sure NLNG is listening. NLNG should appear within one week before our Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions with their evidence of compensation. If they fail, then the Senate will take a decision on NLNG in this respect.”
Meanwhile, the Senate has urged the Federal Ministry of Education to forthwith issue one Mr. Sunday M. Akinwale a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) exemption certificate. This was contained in a resolution reached sequel to the consideration of a report by the Ethics Committee on a petition received from Mr. Akinwale against the Minister of Education and the Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps for non-release of his NYSC exemption letter. Akinyelure, in his presentation, stated that the petitioner “graduated with LLB (Hons.) in Law at the age of 41 and has proceeded to Bar 1 and 2 and has been called to the Nigerian Bar and he currently practices as partner at Lawville Chambers in Akure, Ondo State; “That Birmingham City University was an accredited institution in the United Kingdom and wondered why the Federal Ministry of Education should not evaluate his credential and process the release of his exemption certificate after he had proceeded to Law School, and having been called to the Nigerian Bar and currently, a practicing Lawyer;
“That the Federal Ministry of Education subjected Sunday Akinwale to harsh conditions by compelling him to go and re-sit for Mathematics;
That the policy of the National Standing Committee of the Federal Ministry of Education on foreign qualifications negates section 11 of the National Youth Service Corps Act CapN84, Laws of the Federation of 2004. The Act empowers the NYSC among other duties to issue a discharge certificate to every member that has successfully completed the one year mandatory service. However, in place of the discharge certificate an exemption certificate may be issued to those that graduated at age 31 years and above. That the policy stood in the way of the release of the exemption certificate to Sunday Akinwale; and That the policy of the National Standing Committee on candidates who had already obtained their first degrees with deficient entry qualifications should re-sit for the affected papers before being cleared for NYSC, was not backed by law and so, could not stand.”
