Nigeria in deal with Niger Delta residents

ABUJA, Nigeria, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The Nigerian government proposed a deal to transfer a portion of its oil and gas revenue to the residents of the Niger Delta, officials said.

The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta earlier this year declared an "oil war" on the national energy sector in an effort to gain access to oil revenue.

The government said it has plans to transfer 10 percent of the national oil and gas revenue to Niger Delta residents as part of a broader effort to reform the energy sector.

Emmanuel Egbogah, an adviser to Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua on the oil sector, told the Financial Times the measure is slated for inclusion in a series of reforms the government aims to pass by the end of the year.

The Nigerian government in July said oil revenue fell by 50 percent in the first quarter of 2009 due in part to militant activity targeting the energy sector in the Niger Delta. Recent reports, however, show production is on the rise.

Egbogah told the Times that Niger Delta residents would receive cash benefits through a sort of trust fund.

"Every community, whether blind or deaf or dumb, every citizen will say: 'I own a part of this business,'" he said.