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E2 /<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 Oduduwa News Community Protest Paralyses Pan Ocean’s Operations In Ovade-Oghara SUNDAY APAH UGHELLI The people of Ovade-Oghara Community in Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State have embarked on an indefinite protest paralyzing the operations of Pan Ocean Oil Corporation (Nigeria) Limited (PANOCO). The community stated that parts of their grievances was that PANOCO started oil exploration in the area 45 years ago and has under-developed the community. Protesting Ovade elders, Chiefs, Women including youths stormed the premises of Pan Ocean Oil Company at 5:30 am yesterday bearing placards with inscriptions such as “Pan Ocean should go”, “Pan Ocean leave our land for us, Enough is Enough”, “The marriage between Pan Ocean Oil Company and Ovade Community is heading for a divorce due to Neglect and suffering of the people over 40 years of oil exploration and exploitation” , “Fadeyi leave us alone”and “Re-instate our sacked youths” among other inscriptions. They chanted solidarity songs while they matched on every available space around, preventing both human and vehicular movements from entering and coming out from the company’s premises while their protest continued as at the time of filing this report. The Chairman of the Community Mr. Hitler Igbakpa, the Secretary Hon. Odeh Oghominene Festus, Chief Simeon Ogheneovo Odeh, the Chief Prince of Oghara Kingdom and others who addressed journalists said despite about 45 years of oil exploration from Ovade Community by Pan Ocean Oil Corporation that what they have in return is the systematic, malicious and provocative under development of their community and people. They maintained that due to the prolong oil exploration/exploitation in their community by PANOCO that their once arable and fertile land is currently subjected to severe environmental (ecological) degradation. They explained further that having suffered from a prolonged history of persistent and consistent chain of Institutionalized oppression, suppression, victimization, marginalization and discrimination from Pan Ocean Oil Corporation in different realms of development, particularly in human capital and socio-economic aspects of development, that all efforts made to reverse the status quo have failed as they could not result to peaceful settlement Mr. Igbaka, who spoke on behalf of the community, noted that even a peace move that included the Governor of Delta State Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, was dishonoured by the company. He added that before the ongoing protest, which they termed the (mother of all) will be called off, that Pan Ocean should with immediate effect, and unconditionally reinstate one of their sons, Mr. Tobore Hosanna who they laid off sometime ago. They equally gave the condition of consummating the drafting, signing and implementation of the Global memorandum of understanding (GMOU) with the Community and the immediate upgrading, re-reticulation and extension of existing moribund water project in Ovade Community. Included in their demand also is the immediate commencement of the construction of an access (Link) road between Ovade Community and Ovade Oghara flow station, Gas Plant which was the reasons for their protest. While appealing to the youths to remain calm, he urged the youths to remain calm. He said, “the youths should ensure that the protest is peaceful, they should desist from any act of lawlessness which is capable of truncating their original plans, we must actualize our aim with the drop of our blood and we must remain in the premises of the company both Night and day until our demands are met.” A youth leader, Mr. Andrew Onomroba, who also bared his mind on the lingering issue, said the youths have also being denied employment by the Company as it has continued to employ people from other parts of the country. He noted that the community is blessed with all kinds of skilled personnel that can be employed to work in the company instead of the occasional un-skilled labour the company has been employing from non-host communities. However, the urgent intervention of the Divisional Police Officer of Oghara station C.S.P Tomitope Fashugba and Military men from 19 battalion, Koko, who arrived the company as early as 7:30 am to pacify fray nerves prevented the youths who were already spoiling for war to become violent. The intervention of the police prevented the original plans of the elders from being hijacked by the youths. Government Evacuates Blocked Water Channels In Delta Communities To Check Flooding Amaechi Udemba, Press Secretary on prints to Governor, Delta State (right); Mike Okeme, Special Adviser to the Governor on Labour and SeviCom (middle), and Patrick Ochei, Vice Chairman, Nigeria Union of Journalist, Delta State chapter, during the burial of late Lady Gloria Adlie Udemba, mother of Amaechi, at Issele-Uku, Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State at the weekend. PHOTO: GODDY UMUKORO SUNDAY APAH UGHELLI The Delta State Government has evacuated blocked water channels in Sapele, Oghara, Aghalokpe, Warri, Effurun, Ughelli, Asaba, and other communities in the bid to reduce flooding in the State. Hon. John Obukohwo Nani whoh led the team that carried out the water channel evacuation exercise defied rain to inspect the ongoing de-flooding exercise in the affected areas and other parts of Delta state with over 50 swamp buggies working at the same time. Nani in an interaction with the media said, the Delta State government decided to embark on the exercise on account of the heavy down pour which rendered Deltans across the state homeless. He further thanked Deltans for the support accorded the Ministry to de-flood their various areas and advice them not to block the water ways in their surroundings. Nani advised owners of illegal structures that are noted to be obstructing the water ways to remove all in the interest of the people living in these areas. Reacting to the state government effort of de-flooding the areas, Comrade Prince Orhomonokpaye, thanked the state government for his prompt action in helping to de-flood the affected areas and giving a new life to the people living in the affected areas. LG Employees In Bayelsa Flay Reappointment Of Caretaker Chairmen Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State has been advised by the National Union of Local Government Employees to discard any plan of reappointing local government caretaker chairmen in the state. The advise was given by the state Chairman, NULGE, Mr. Akpos Ekiegha, during a news conference in Yenagoa, the state capital, on Saturday. Ekiegha explained that the cost of running the caretaker system, in the face of the declining federal allocations was linked to the salary arrears owed LGA workers in the state. He advised the governor to give Heads of the LGAs to administer the councils as Acting Chairmen for a period of eight months to enable them clear the arrears owed workers in the various councils. Against the foregoing backdrop, he said: “If the Heads of LGAs are allowed to run the system as Acting Chairmen, believe you me, there will be nothing like salary arrears. He cited Cross River and Delta states as examples of state running the same system. He continued: “If civil servants are allowed to man the system, they know their boundaries, they cannot ask for a security vote of N20m but the caretaker chairman will ask for a security vote of between N20m and N40m. He added that “They (caretaker chairmen) would say there is security problem in so, so community. Therefore, they will say they need N100m to go and solve the problem, but we, as civil servants, have a limit. Our main focus is to pay our workers’ salaries and if any money is left, it will be intact.” He buttressed his advice by saying that within the short period that the caretaker chairmen of the eight LGAs were relieved of their appointments, coupled with little improvement in federal allocations, that accumulation of salaries owed council workers had shrinked to only four and a half months. The appealed to Governor Dickson to keep to his promise that by September 2017, the government would take over the payment of primary school staff from the local governments to enable them to pay regular salaries of their workers, adding that the non-payment of the primary school staff by the state government was part of the reasons the LG workers were currently on strike in the state. He used the opportunity to throw light on the speculation making the rounds that the state government was interfering with local government funds. He said, “The government of the state has never interfered with the allocation of the councils but has rather ensured that the allocation of the councils are freely given to them for judicious use.” He further added that it was at the request of the Joint Councils of NULGE and Medical Health Workers Union during the last days of the elected LG chairmen that the Governor directed the withholding of January to March, 2016 allocations. He noted that the allocations were later disbursed to the councils under the immediate past caretaker committees to pay workers’ salary arrears. Ekeigha commended Dickson and the Commissioner for Local Government, Dr. Agatha Goma, for the judicious use of the London-Paris refunds and the July allocation that had resulted in the payment of salaries of workers ranging from two to three months depending on the financial strength of the councils. He advised all LG workers to avail themselves of the ongoing verification exercise in the various LGAs, particularly in Ogbia, where he claimed that massive payroll fraud had been suspected.
INDEPENDENT WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2017 /<strong>Independent</strong>ngr @independentngr www.independent.ng E3 News Okowa Pledges To Use SMARTART Agenda To Rev Up Youths Career Delta state Governor, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa has pledged to use his administration’s SMARTART Agenda to rev up the career of the youths in the state to enable them achieve their dreams. The governor made the pledge recently when he played host to the Delta State representative in the forthcoming reality show tagged “Labour Room,” Comrade Oshevire Onefe and a representative of the Nigeria Rebirth Foundation, organisers of the reality show in Asaba. The governor, who was represented by his Political Adviser, Omimi Esquire, said that Delta State and Deltans have always remained number one in positive things, and on that note advised that the opportunity should be used to educate the world that the state is blessed with both human and natural resources. He explained that the era where people are fed with negative information about the state was over; pointing out that the state is blessed with men and women that have excelled as academicians, industrialists and leaders in all spheres of life. Governor Okowa assured the state representative of government’s support towards clinching the number one position at the reality show contest and urged Comrade Oshevire to redouble efforts towards surmounting the challenges that may crop up in the contest, which will be contested by representatives of 30 states of the country and FCTCT, Abuja. Earlier, the Niger Delta coordinator of the Nigerian Rebirth Foundation, Comrade Young Piero said that the visit to the governor was to present a flag to the Delta State representative in the reality show contest, as well as create the needed awareness about the contest which kicks off on September 2, 2017. Comrade Piero said that winners of the reality show will enjoy investments worth over N200 million, adding that the move was intended to open new doors of opportunities for jobless youths. The Delta State representative to the reality show, Comrade Oshevire Onefe said that he will use the platform to tell the true story of Delta to the world, urging youths to see challenges as stepping stones to breakthroughs in life. Highlights of the visit to the governor was the presentation of flag and certificate to Comrade Oshevire, as well as planting of a palm tree to signify green vegetation and the unity of the nation. Prof Obioha Nwana, former President, Science Teachers Association of Nigeria (STAN) (left); Mohammed Moulud, President, STAN (second left); Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, Governor, Rivers State (second right), and Prof Ben Akpan, Executive Director, STAN, after the association’s visit to the governor in Port Harcourt on Tuesday. PHOTO: NAN •CONTINUED FROM E1 SPDC JV Reaffirms Commitment To Develop Kula, Belema Communities Oduduwa ExxonMobil Responsible For 95% Oil Spills In A/Ibom – AKIPCON such a high powered panel sit in the Niger Delta and every community that had cases with oil companies in the Niger Delta withdrew their cases and brought the cases before the commission because of the confidence they had. Over 33 cases were withdrawn from various Courts in the Niger Delta region, and brought before the commission. Why not allow yourself to be judged? But they refused, they went to the Court because they knew they could conspire with the Court to frustrate the people of Akwa Ibom State, it is unacceptable, we will not accept that. So what are you determined to do now that the commission has not been allowed to entertain your case? We have gone to the appeal court. We have filed all the 18 cases in appeal court in Calabar and in Abuja. The one of ADAC is filled in Abuja. These ones for the other oil companies have been filled in calabar, and had been appropriately served. That is action one. Action two is a State-wide protest that we are arranging to tell the public that we are dissatisfied with the ruling and the position that the oil companies have pushed the people of Akwa Ibom State into. So, we are going to tell the oil companies that enough is enough. They have denied us of good drinking water, they have denied us of good air, good houses. Look at the roof-tops, they are all dilapidated, buildings cracking here and there. Look at the quality of the food we eat, poisonous foods everywhere. Look at corpses. Medical reports, death certificates issued by government hospitals to show that many people have died. And they say that they are not going to pay compensation, they must pay because they have money to bribe corrupt judges in Nigeria and they think they will go scot free, they must pay. ExxonMobil recently defended that there are other smaller offshore companies whose facilities are also spilling oil. From your investigations, have you also been able to trace oil spills to other companies? That question is very very important. I want to tell you that ExxonMobil is responsible for 95% of oil spill in Akwa Ibom State. This is because ExxonMobil is operating with outdated pipelines. This information I am giving to you is recorded in our memo to the commission. They were supposed to change their pipelines since 20 years ago. Pipelines that were laid since 1971, not replaced! Those pipelines have been under the waters from 1971 and they have not changed them. The technical advice was that those pipelines were due for replacement since 1997. ExxonMobil has not changed a single pipeline since they started operations in Akwa Ibom in 1974. They came to Akwa Ibom in 1971. That was the year they laid those pipelines. Since then they have not changed anything. Let them tell the public when they effected such change and who supervised them because the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency, NOSDRA, should know about it. Other government agencies should have known about it. No certificate to show that they have changed those pipelines, that is why those pipelines are bursting frequently, spilling oil from left, right and center, because they are taking us for granted. The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd operated Joint Venture (SPDC JV) has said that it is poised to develop its host communities in the Niger Delta contrary to speculation that it has reneged in its promise. The management of the petroleum development company also decried the illegal occupation of Belema Flow Station and Gas Plant today (August 11) by some persons. SPDC has informed the authorities of the illegal occupation that it is working towards resuming safe operations. Debunking allegations of neglect of communities in Kula kingdom and Belema in Rivers State, SPDC said it had implemented a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) in the area that led to a wide variety of social investment projects including university scholarships awards. It explained that, the Rivers State Government initiated a mediation process for the resolution of the disagreements in the community, which had resulted in the creation of the Kula Project Implementation and Monitoring Committee (PIMC) in 2012. The PIMC served as an interim platform for the delivery of social investment initiatives and programmes worth N263 million in the Soku-San Berth Project. These projects are separate from the GMoU projects initiated by communities using funds provided by the SPDC JV. Against the foregoing backdrop, a GMoU was signed in 2014 for the Kula Cluster but has not been implemented because of continuing intra-community disagreements. As at 2015, there were a total of 11 court cases involving different groups with SPDC as a co-defendant in all of them. The company in a statement said, “Sadly, these legal suits and disputes have rendered it impossible to implement more planned development projects in the affected communities,” said SPDC’s General Manager, External Relations, Igo Weli, while commenting on the allegations of neglect. It added that “Notwithstanding that SPDC has divested its equity in OML 24, which covers most of the communities in Kula and Belema, the SPDC JV has continued to implement agreed Social Investment programmes such as scholarship and entrepreneurship schemes for the communities there”. Despite the challenging environment, the SPDC JV set aside more than N600 million for a five-year period beginning 2014 for development initiatives at Kula and the satellite communities of Belema, Offoinama and Boro. SPDC JV has also invested over N352 million in Improvement of school infrastructure, sanitation and health outreach programmes, construction of walkway for the community and electricity supply in Kula Kingdom in the past 10 years. The host communities of OML 25, including Belema and Offionama have continued to benefit from contract awards, employment of unskilled labour and our social investment programmes, including yearly award of regular and special scholarships to eligible candidates from the area. With the divestment of its interest in OML 24, SPDC relinquished operatorship of the facilities in that field. SPDC’s social investment activities focus on community and enterprise development, education, health, access-to-energy, road safety and since 2016. Collectively, Nigeria has the second largest concentration of social investment spending in the Shell Group. The SPDC JV partners have contributed $29b to the economic growth of Nigeria between 2012–2016. SPDC JV is currently supporting the various GMoU Cluster Development Boards and mentoring NGOs to deploy a total of N7 billion for development projects of host communities’ choice in the Niger Delta under the GMoU program
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