In a show of shame, some members of the host communities engaged in fisticuffs at the ongoing public hearing organised by the House of Representatives on the Petroleum Industry Bill.
The fight broke out when the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas were called to the podium to make a presentation.
However, some other bodies of host communities stood up, leading to a rowdy session.
The fight broke out exactly 12:10 pm when the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee on PIB, Hon. Mohammed Monguno who had been moderating the proceedings called the host Communities to make their presentation.
One of the Itsekiri leaders stood up to speak but was opposed by other members of host communities present and a fight ensued leading to a rowdy session.
Security agents at the hall including police and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officers had to break up the fight, prompting the house ad-hoc committee on PIB to allow each host community to speak.
The situation worsened when members of the opposing sides began to exchange blows, forcing the lawmakers to seek the intervention of security operatives.
Consequently, lawmakers and other participants scampered for safety.
The leaders of the oil-rich areas under the aegis of the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas had on Tuesday, openly rejected the 2.5 per cent proposed for them in the Petroleum Industry Bill 2020, being considered by the joint Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources, (Downstream, Upstream and Gas).
They insisted that nothing short of the 10 per cent of the operating expenditure they were demanding would be acceptable to them because the proposed 2.5 per cent was grossly inadequate to provide basic social amenities and improve the standard of living of their people.
But the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, opposed the position of host communities for insisting on collecting 10 per cent of the operating expenditure of the oil firms to set up a trust fund.
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