12th January, 2016
Jethro Ibileke/Warri
Modalities have been put in place for the disbursement of three per cent oil mining lease (OML 30) to traditional rulers in oil bearing communities in Delta state, as spelt out in the GMOU agreement between the oil bearing communities and NPDC.
The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Peter Mrakpor, announced this on Monday at a meeting he held with traditional rulers in the OML 30 communities in the state.
No fewer than 29 traditional rulers drawn from Ijaw, Urhobo, Isoko, Okpe and Itsekiri Kingdoms were present at the meeting held at the Governor’s office, (Warri annex), to discuss modalities for the final disbursement of the three percent project funds set aside for traditional rulers under the executed GMOU agreement.
The royal fathers who agreed that the Oil Company should disburse their three percent due to them through their various clusters against other dissenting sharing formulas.
The Attorney-General who was represented at the meeting by the Director Department of Peoples’ Rights, Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, while welcoming the 29 traditional rulers to the meeting, said the negotiation of the GMOU which was midwifed by the Delta State Government through the State Ministry of Justice amongst others provided for the 3% of the project funds to the royal fathers in OML 30 for their maintenance.
Earlier, the royal fathers who expressed dissatisfaction with the 3 per cent set aside for them which they described as too meagre, accused the management of NPDC of neglect and deliberately sidelining them in the negotiation process that led to the signing of the GMOU between their communities and the Oil company. They unanimously called on the Management of the Oil Company to liaise with them directly in future negotiations and called for an upward review of the amount due to them