Agiru’s threat stirs up PM

 By MALUM NALU

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill yesterday expressed concern over threats by Hela Governor Anderson Agiru to stall the PNG LNG project over claims of unresolved issues, including financial payments.

O’Neill told reporters that all commitments made by past and present national governments for Hela under the umbrella benefits sharing agreement (UBSA), and licensed based benefits agreement (LBBSA) signed between project landowners, state, and respective provincial governments since 2009 had been honoured.

“We have engaged with him (Agiru) in a meaningful way, as ExxonMobil has stated,” he said.

“This is quite disappointing after we all put in an extended amount of support into it (project), a lot of development has taken place, and he has been party to the agreements that we signed in Kokopo.

“You have to ask him why he has gone out and conducted himself in a manner which has created all this uncertainty.”

O’Neill said to date, K780 million had been paid out, including K460 million to high impact infrastructure projects (HIIP).

A number of projects identified have received almost K200 million to date, while K260 million remains to be spent.

Of the HIP funds spent, Hela received K118.4 million, Southern Highlands K60 million, and Gulf K3 million.

O’Neill said K1.2 billion would be spent in the next 10 years on infrastructure development grants (IDGs).

Of these IDG funds, Hela has already received K174.04 million, Southern Highlands K98.3 million, Gulf K32.2 million and Central K35 million.

O’Neill said K120 million had been allocated to business development grants with K106.3 million already paid out to 131 different groups in the four provinces.

A total of K12 million has been allocated for Hides (Hela) landowners is held in trust pending the outcome of a dispute among the landowners themselves that is still before court.

“We are not here to renegotiate agreements,” he said.

“We will honour every agreement that previous governments have made on behalf of our country.

“As we all know in this country, there is not one single drop of gas that has been exported out of this country.

“Despite that, in good faith, the national government has made some commitments to the people of Southern Highlands and Hela provinces, commitments which are being paid for by every single taxpayer in this country.”