Although, all is set for President Goodluck Jonathan’s planned visit to Delta state this weekend, but, there are feelers that the much-expected state visit may be marred by intra-communal clashes.
The bone of contention is the controversial $16 billion Gas City Project, which is located at Ogidigben of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, two sister communities in the Kpokpo / Okpeleama, have reportedly warned the President to stay action on the mucvh-expected foundation laying ceremony of the Escravos Export Processing Zone (EPZ).
Although, all is set for President Goodluck Jonathan’s planned visit to Delta state this weekend, but, there are feelers that the much-expected state visit may be marred by intra-communal clashes.
The bone of contention is the controversial $16 billion Gas City Project, which is located at Ogidigben of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, two sister communities in the Kpokpo / Okpeleama, have reportedly warned the President to stay action on the mucvh-expected foundation laying ceremony of the Escravos Export Processing Zone (EPZ).
Issuing the warning on behalf of the communities is an influential Niger Delta Activist, Chief Bello Oboko, who advised President Goodluck Jonathan to put off the foundation laying ceremony in order not to risk the anger of neglected stakeholders.
Addressing newsmen recently at the Stakeholders Forum on Securing Oil and Gas Investments in Effurun, Oboko, Chief Bello Oboko cited the case of the Kpokpo/Okpeleama Communities. He said though not less than 335.554 hectares of land belonging to the Escravos EPZ land area, and the dwellers of Kpokpo/Okpeleama land area, are not allowed to participate in the on-going work carried out in the Escravos EPZ site. As such, what is worth doing is worth doing well.
The Niger Delta Activist insisted that Stakeholders should be guided by the experiences of the past in charting a way forward in securing oil investments.
Oboko, who was the President of the Federated Niger Delta Ijaw Communities (FNDIC,) was approached by the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, years ago to resolve what some called ‘foreign hostage and pipeline vandalization.’ The situation in the Niger Delta comes from an apparent neglect of required action by all Stakeholders, so goes the thinking, and had resulted in the destruction of oil investments in the past.
While listing the vandalized oil investment properties to members of the press, Chief Bello Oboko was clear in the naming of names of the affected sites. Damaged oil properties include, Dibi, Alero, Sahara Oil Flow Stations; owned by Chevron Nigeria Limited, Opumami Flow Station; owned by Elf, Warri-Lagos Gas Pipeline and Crude Oil Pipeline; owned by the Petroleum Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC), Oboko said there was a need to avoid a repeat by a changing of ways.”
Following the revocation of their land, Oboko said there is also a human price, and that “local economies are dislocated with nagging hunger and humanitarian issues.” Those issues he stressed, are ones “that have become a crises in the affected communities.” He added that it was provocative that the people were de-inherited of their land against God’s assurance
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