Human Rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana, SAN, has said that the brutal exploitation of the Niger Delta people by the Federal Government must stop.

Falana also called for accountability and justice for the people of Niger Delta, saying that if the region is well compensated that it would have no business with poverty.

Mr. Falana spoke in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, during the Ken Saro-Wiwa 30th Anniversary Memorial Lecture, with the theme; “Ken Saro-Wiwa, The Man, His Legacies, Struggles and Challenges.”

In his keynote address, Falana stressed that the people of Niger Delta have no business being poor given that the region is blessed with natural resources.

His words: “People of the Niger Delta have no business with poverty, you should live a life of prosperity based on your wealth and that is why this brutal exploitation must stop.”

Falana also urged the Rivers State government to enact a law that would ensure special allocation to oil-producing areas from the 13% derivation fund from the federal government.

He noted that under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 3% of oil company operations should be increased to 5% for host community development, and called for accountability in the utilization of these funds.

He said: “Rivers state, you must have a similar law that will make special allocation to the oil producing areas of Rivers State out of the 13 percent derivation. Under the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, section 257 says that 3 % from operation of the oil company will be set aside for the development of the Host Community. So oil communities should decide to have more than 3 percent but by May this Year, the CEO, NUPRC announced that about N97 billion and $150 million have to go to the Host Community, then all of us must be interested and ensure accountability with respect to these figures being announced by the government.”

However, Nimmo Bassey, an Environmental Rights Activist, rejected the planned resumption of oil exploration on the area, arguing that the government should rather speed up the cleanup up project, than push for oil resumption. (Saturday Vanguard)