Unlocking Opportunity: NDCYA Advocates 40% Oil Bloc Licenses For Niger Deltans

Unlocking Opportunity: NDCYA Advocates 40% Oil Bloc Licenses For Niger Deltans

The Niger Delta Community Youths Association (NDCYA) has called on the Senate and relevant authorities to address what it terms the exclusion of Niger Deltans from oil bloc allocations. The group demands that at least 40% of oil…Unlocking Opportunity: NDCYA Advocates 40% Oil Bloc Licenses For Niger Deltans

bloc licenses be reserved for indigenous people of the region to ensure fairness and equity.

Based in states such as Bayelsa, Akwa-Ibom, Edo, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia, and Ondo, the NDCYA has expressed strong disapproval of the recent allocation of oil blocs by the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to non-indigenous corporate entities and individuals.

The group’s stance aligns with a petition to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, submitted by Blessing Agbomhere Esq., a legal representative for aggrieved Niger Delta investors. The petition demands the reversal of the 2022/2023 mini-bid round and the 2024 licensing round for oil blocs in the Niger Delta region.

Protests have erupted across cities such as Yenagoa, Uyo, Benin, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Owerri, Umuahia, Akure, and Abuja. Protesters are calling for a fresh bidding process that ensures 40% of oil bloc allocations go to Niger Delta investors, as stipulated in laws such as the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) and the amended 1999 Constitution.

In a statement signed by NDCYA leaders, including Comrade Embale Jonathan, Hon. Omeizah Ogumah, Boma Doreye, and Comrade Sunny Ifijen, the group decried the degradation of their ancestral lands due to oil exploration, compounded by the exclusion of their people from meaningful benefits.

“The allocation of oil-prospecting licenses to non-Niger Delta interests is a blatant disregard for the intent of the Petroleum Industry Act and a betrayal of our people,” the statement read. “Our lands have suffered environmental degradation, pollution, and health hazards from oil activities, yet we are excluded from reaping the benefits of our resources.”

The NDCYA outlined three key demands:

1. An immediate review of oil-prospecting licenses to allocate at least 40% of oil blocs to Niger Deltans.
2. A commitment from oil bloc owners to remediate polluted lands and waters and compensate affected communities.
3. Enforcement of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations, including employment, training, and support for local businesses.

The group emphasized that addressing these issues is critical to ensuring transparency, inclusion, and sustainability in Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

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