A group under the Niger Delta Community Youths Association, representing states including Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia, and Ondo, has strongly criticized the recent allocation of oil bloc licenses by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to companies and individuals not from the Niger Delta.
The group has submitted a petition to the Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, via legal counsel Blessing Agbomhere Esq, demanding the reversal of the 2022/23 mini bid and the 2024 oil bloc licensing round. They are advocating for a new licensing process where 40% of Nigeria’s oil blocs are given to indigenous Niger Delta investors, in line with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the 1999 Constitution.
Protests led by the group are taking place in several cities, including Yenagoa, Uyo, Benin, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Owerri, Umuahia, Akure, and Abuja. They argue that it is unacceptable for their ancestral lands, heavily impacted by oil exploration, to be given to outsiders.
Their demands include a review of oil-prospecting licenses to ensure at least 40% of them go to Niger Delta indigenes, a commitment from oil bloc owners to remediate the environmental damage caused, compensation for affected communities, and strict enforcement of corporate social responsibility (CSR) obligations, such as employment, training, and support for local businesses.
The group has urged the Nigerian Senate and relevant authorities to take their demands seriously, claiming that the recent allocations ignore the intent of the Petroleum Industry Act and further marginalize the Niger Delta people, who have long endured environmental damage and health risks due to oil extraction activities, while receiving minimal benefits.
