Delta Community Asks NPDC To Stop Oil Exploration

      

Odogwuemekaodogwu.blogspot.com reports that a community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State has asked the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, the oil exploration subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, to stop its operations in the area.

The Opuama/Ikpotogbene said the company had yet to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with it on its exploration operations in the community.

Addressing newsmen in Sapele on Wednesday, leaders of the Opuama/Ikpotogbene community under the aegis of Concerned Oloduwa Descendants also accused NPDC of failing to conduct an Environmental Impact Assessment in the area.

The community stated its demands in a document titled, ‘Our Demand’, which was signed by Mr French Ukuto, Chief Samuel Peggy, Chief Stephen Ukulor, Mr Elisha Ukuto as well as Mrs Alero Ugedi, Ati Reach, Mrs Evelyn Ukulor, Mr. Abel Sule, Ebipade Elisha and Damage-Clark Aboh.

The notice to quit to NPDC came a few days after it got a similar notice from youths, women and elders of Polobubo (Tsekelewu) Community in Warri North, which accused it of illegally entering their community.

The Polobubo (Tsekelewu) National Council had noted that the company had neglected entering into talks with the community before starting its exploration activities.

The National President of PNC, Ebilate Mac-Yoroki, who addressed the briefing, alleged that the NPDC, which operates the divested stakes of the oil multinational, Shell Petroleum Development Company in their area, commenced operations without any attempt to strike an agreement with the community.

They alleged that the NPDC by its posturing appeared to have “chosen the path of war rather than that of peace, because we’re are a peace loving people.

The National President of PNC, Ebilate Mac-Yoroki, said an earlier lease existing between his community and the SPDC about 40 years ago, had lapsed and that it was in the process of entering another agreement when the company sold its stakes.

He claimed that the new company had commenced the dredging of a channel from their community into the ocean without carrying out an EIA, thereby devastating the area, destroying their source of water supply and generally endangering the people’s means of livelihood.

Punch Report