'Give us 10 per cent of oil cash'

Frontpage, Nov 18, 2010
Story: Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
THE chiefs and people of the Western Region have petitioned Parliament to ensure that 10 per cent of Ghana’s petroleum revenue is paid into a Western Region Development Fund to be established under the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill.
This, according to them, is for the purpose of developing the region.
In addition, they have called for the establishment of a special fund to take care of any disaster that will arise from any environmental mishap that could occur during the exploration and production of oil and gas.
They further contend that the fund should be managed by a board comprising indigenes of the region.
At a press conference prior to the presentation of the petition to the Speaker of the House yesterday, the President of the Western Regional House of Chief, Awulae Atibrukusu, said the demand by the chiefs and people was informed by the state of development and the high rate of unemployment in spite of the rich resources in the region.
He said currently, the youth in the region were agitating as a result of the seemingly non-transparent employment practices of companies involved in the oil and gas industry and the apparent lack of interest of the government in recognising the Western Region as a key stakeholder in the oil discovery.
The nine-point petition also called for the achievement of regional and gender balance envisaged by the 1992 Constitution in employment by all state institutions, especially those engaged in the oil and gas industry.
It also called for the representation of the region on all institutions and bodies to be established by the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill, such as the Investment Advisory Committee and Public Interest and Accountability Committee, as well as all governing bodies that would be established under all laws relating to oil and gas industry.
The petition also demanded that one-third of the members of the Oil and Gas Commission that would be established should be made up of indigenes of the Western Region, explaining that all such appointments should be in consultation with the chiefs and people of the region.
It called on the government to encourage the oil and gas companies, through legislation, to employ and offer other business opportunities to indigenes of the region.
Answering questions from the media, Awulae Annor Adjaye explained that the demands were not based on selfish interests, but on the need to forestall any future agitation as a result of unfair treatment in the oil and gas industry.
“We did not benefit from cocoa, gold, timber and other natural resources that were mined in the region and if we do not benefit from the oil find, then the region is doomed,” he declared.
Fourteen paramount chiefs in the region signed the petition.
Meanwhile, the First Deputy Speaker, Mr Edward Adjaho, has referred the petition to the Joint Committee on Finance and Mines and Energy for consideration after receiving it from the chiefs.
Time is not on the side of the chiefs since the report on the joint committee on the Petroleum Revenue Management Bill was due to be laid before the House yesterday.
It was, however, deferred and it is hoped that it would be laid before the end of the week for it to go through its second reading.
The two sides of the House agreed that the laying of the report should be deferred.