Prince Okareme Maikpobi National cordinator of HOSTCOM has tag Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor seven days ultimatum demands as Unrealistic and impracticable.
Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor had in Warri, Wednesday at the Rewane villa, warned that she would drag the state government to court if it failed to repeal the law within the stated time, insisting, “No law supersedes the laws of the constitution of Nigeria. The law, which guarantees 13 per cent derivation made it clear that the 13 per cent is strictly for the development of oil producing communities. There is no ambiguity to it.” Present in this meeting are National chairman of a bloc of HOSTCOM, Bishop Mike Emu, Delta chapter chairperson, Benjamin Iwetan, former Commissioner in the state, Comrade Newuwumi Omolubi, Itsekiri National Youth Council president, Esimaje Awani, among others, joined Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor in making the demand.

Maikpobi stated clearly that However, Prince Maikpobi, who is also the national chairman, Board of Trustees, Community Development Committee, CDC of Oil and Gas Producing Communities in the Niger-Delta, yesterday, said, “The law has been signed, all we want is reflected in the law. Host communities are happy with the law as it is today. Areas of concern to us have been the timely release of fund and the governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has assured that he will implement the law to the letter.”

Prince Maikpobo who spoke to a local newspaper stated “Chief Lori-Ogbebor’s call for repeal of the law is not realistic. We had canvassed this position before at the federal level, we took it up at the Revenue Mobilization and Fiscal and Allocation Commission, RMFAC. But their position is that oil communities are not part of the three tiers of government for the purpose of revenue sharing. We all know it is federal, state and local governments and the state created DESOPADEC to hold the 13 per cent derivation fund in trust for the oil communities. The ideal thing is to pay the total 13 per cent to the oil communities. That is our position, but frankly speaking, there is no approved structure for such disbursement without passing through the state government.”

“I want to say, however, that we have agreed with the RMFAC on the way forward, the commission agreed with us that the money is strictly meant for oil communities and had prepared a new revenue formula pointing the way forward. It has written to President Muhammadu Buhari for audience to present the proposed revenue formula. What I want other Niger Delta leaders, including Chief Lori-Ogbebor to do is for all us to join forces and call on President Buhari to receive the new revenue formula and handover to the National Assembly for passage into law. The new revenue formula has taken care of this problem of 13 per cent derivation being for oil communities and the commission recommended how the money will be disbursed.”
He stated for the avoidance of doubt that Lori-Ogbebor was right on the issue of disbursement of the entire 13 per cent to oil communities, but it was impracticable the way she was pushing it, as certain structures must be in place first.

Maikpobo noted that government did not release the 50% to DESOPADEC in the last allocation, but upon inquiry, “we were informed that government was waiting for the inauguration of the new board, which sounded reasonable because it is the board that will manage the money on behalf of the communities.”

Source:www.http://thetruebeacon.com/maikpobi-replys-chief-rita-lori-on-desopadec-passed-bill/