Confusion In NASS As Public Hearing On PIB Ends In Fisticuffs

It was a mild drama on Thursday at the ongoing public hearing on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), as representatives of Host communities from the Niger Delta region engaged themselves in fisticuffs over alleged impersonation.

The fight began when the House Committee called on Representatives of Host Communities to make their presentation, leading to two different groups laying claims to the right to be heard.

A man in a customary traditional title attire who declined to give his name had risen and made for the podium when another gentleman accosted him demanding that he sat down.

Angered by the confrontation, he charged at his challenger and then ensued a fight leading to some degree of injuries.

National Assembly security made up of Police and Sergeant At-Arm quickly intervened to quell the fracas, as they pushed the parties out of the hall before disengaging.

In his reaction to the matter, Barr. Gouha Ukhorumah, representing the Offshore Gbaramatu and coastal Host Communities in Warri South Local Govt of Delta State, lambasted the group, describing them as “two factions of a group who call themselves Host Communities without a specific kingdom or Local government as area of coverage.

“They are paper tigers and racketeers who represent nobody but themselves. They are what we call political Host Communities, because our group has been having MoUs with oil companies and have been managing their Corporate Social Responsibility policies over the years.

“That’s why we said they don’t represent anyone because they can’t be identified with any kingdom or ethnic group in the region. But as God will disgrace them, they are now fighting amongst themselves because they are more about what they can get as individuals.”