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By Akpan David, Calabar
An NGO, Mangrove People Leadership Initiative (MAPLI) has declared that they will not accept three per cent as prescribed by the Petroleum industry Act to oil bearing host communities in the south-south Nigeria.
They said they will fight for it and get it as they, too, are part of Nigeria.
The group made the declaration at its stakeholders meeting in Calabar Saturday.
President general of the group, Chief Dick K Harry, said, “We are saying again that the people of the South South will not accept that 3 percent. We will fight for it, and if they feel that they can treat us like a trash, we are also letting them know that we own Nigeria too.”
“The PIA, as we have, has not defined the difference between the host communities where the oil is drilled from and those communities where pipe lines pass through.
“They are telling us that the people, whose land the oil you drilled from my place passes through, will have equal share with me.
“You mean with the complete destruction of our sources of livelihood which is fishing and farming, and total pollution of our streams and farmlands with oil spillages, we should accept such injustice, we will not. There is a popular saying that when you push a man to the wall, he would naturally react.”
They called on incoming President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to review the percentage which allocates only three per cent to host communities
They have appealed to him to correct the wrongs done to the people of the South South during his administration.
The president general reiterated that the south south has been marginalized for many years despite being the hen that lays the golden eggs.
