EXCLUSIVE

We informed our community leaders that the surveillance job was a scam-HOSTCOM chairman

High Chief Dr. Benjamin Taramanebi Style, the Akpolopkolo  I. of Mein Kingdom was the National vice chairman of HOSTCOM until 7^th of June 2017 when he became the acting National chairman after the demise of National chairman late chief A.M Bubor (JP) in accordance to HOSTCOM constitution

High Chief Dr. Benjamin Taramanebi Style Hostcom chairman

In this interview, he gave a brief history of HOSTCOM and reasons why HOSTCOM was formed. He described current rumor of engaging unemployed youth in the region as fake and therefore advise parents that children do not fall victim to this fraudsters who specializes in defrauding innocent youths to secure fake training form.

Excerpt

Please let’s meet you

My Name is High Chief Dr. Benjamin Taramanebi Style. The Akpolopkolo  I. of Mein Kingdom which cut across Delta and Bayelsa State. I was the National Vice Chairman of HOSTCOM until 7th of June 2017 when I was conferred with the position of National Chairman Acting on vein of demise of Chief A.M Bubor (JP) who was until his death was the Chairman.

What is the reason behind the formation of Hostcom and when was it formed?

The reason behind the formation of Host communities association is clearly to put pressure on government, oil companies on the neglect, marginalisation and deprivation of host communities in the Niger Delta region which produced the black gold and the economy base of our dear nation Nigeria we say NO to federal government saying clearly that enough is enough for the Niger Deltans for keeping us in abject poverty without a recourse.   

HOSTCOM was formed far back late 2001 during the era of former President Olusegun Obasenjo when chief Wellington Okirika as pioneer Chairman before Chief A.M Bubor.

Has the group recorded achievements?

There are successes in HOSTCOM National and states, for instance HOSTCOM had made great impact with Federal Government and National Assembly where we had presented series of presentation for Niger Delta region and Hostcomunities in Nigeria of which we were acknowledged by secretary to federation government, ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs which PIB, Nigeria Local Content Development Board, Amnesty programme, Pipeline Protection Surveillance, 13% deravation 10% equity and presently the HOST communities bill is in the floor of National Assembly.

Meanwhile in states, there are five out of nine that has gotten the intervention commission, these we can say we are going somewhere in our journey, soon Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross Rivers will have the commissions

I am sure you are aware of the rumor of the pipline survelance where thousand of unemployed youths who paid over 70,000 each where trained and they are awaiting placement, only for federal government to say nothing like that was approved. How can this be possible?

As we heard the rumor of engaging unemployed youth in the region vie training, we quickly debunk it through print media and other medium to the general public that is fake and we should not allow ourselves to be scam by these fraudsters defrauding innocent youth of N65,000 to N70,000 to secure fake training form. And the question is in whose directive was this dissident group want to trained them? And who will engage them, and in which company?

But we heard government representative visited the camps during training, are you still saying it’s fraud?

This dissident people did not have houses of their own rather jumping from one hotel to another to carry out these criminal activities and deceiving the jobless youth in the region.

Now what is your take on the trained youths issue?

My  take on this issues of pipeline surveillance job is obvious that federal government will keep to their promise of engaging our helpless youth, our findings has confirmed that it will be state by state host communities engagement, and issue of federal government has given the job out is false and baseless because minister of  Petroleum Resource Dr. Ibe Kachukwu re-ecohed these on his visit to Delta State in Asaba on the 21^st November, 2017 with Host communities and traditional rulers from the state. So,  we trust this govt. and she will not betray the trust we accord her when our boy caese fire and production has sky rocketed which Nigeria is out of recession and Nigeria government is left to do their parts.

What is the way forward?

We will not relent rather we will forge ahead with our struggle until our dream is achieved. it is all propaganda to detrail the good course of HOSTCOM that are set pace for Niger Delta we are working with other organisation like Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral producing communities in Nigeria TROMPCON and Pan Niger Delta Forum PANDEF now on board with federal government, these are well meaning organisation in our region today. So, the decident group led by Dr. Mike Emuh  is a disappointment to Host communities. Thank you