Onaro decries abandonment of Yeye community in Delta
Secretary General, Yeye Community, Iduwini Kingdom, Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, Nigeria. Prince Onaro has cried out over under development and abandonment of Yeye Community by Local, State and Federal Government.
Prince Onaro, who spoke with The Liberator Newspaper had stated that the community is suffering from all manner of deprivation from the three thiers of Government.
In his words: “We have been abandoned. There are just skeletal projects by both the State and Federal Government in our oil rich communities and no Local Government Chairman, DESOPADEC nor NDDC Leadership, State Commissioner or Governor has visited our communities with all the oil facilities we have that is contributing greatly to the economy of our nation.”
“As an oil rich community, we should be given the needed attention and basic necessities for human habitation for our communities namely Yeye- Ekeremo Yeye II, Oguruma and Olokpobiri which are without primary and secondary schools of over two thousand children and youths, shore protection, good drinking water, electricity, concrete jetty, road network, communication network etc. You can imagine an oil producing communities of over two thousand children and youths in this modern age of technology, living without even primary school and means of communication, how do you expects them to become in the society tomorrow? Of course to vandalize oil facilities to make a living since there is no job and education for them. Like they say: “an idle mind is the devils workshop”.
“The most painful, annoying, pathetic and heart breaking issue is that our communities has been taken over by flood, destroying lives and properties that worth millions of naira since 1977 including the only primary school in Yeye built by shell is completely destroyed of which our children are scattered all over without primary education. Several letters has been written to both federal and state agencies and no response till now as we speak.”
According to Prince Onaro, the above mentioned oil bearing communities plays hosts to Shell, NPDC, Mobil, Heritage, with the following oil facilities 24” Trans Forcados Pipeline (TFP), 48” Focados Export Pipeline, Ekremo Manifold and Block Valve, Chanomi West Manifold, Chanomi East Manifold, OML 64, OML 30, Since 1968.
He said, by reason of the indispensable oil producing status of Yeye Communities recognized by the Government, SPDC and other oil Multinationals. Yeye has the SPDC/HERITAGE OML 30 GLOBAL MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (GMOU) being interaction platforms between Yeye and the said companies and they are trying in terms of compliance.
“For example, we have four (4) and above Communities under Yeye. However, the yearly amount from the agreement is small after sharing with the communities.
“We have made several efforts to seek the intervention of these companies on issues of community development but they keep telling us that it is not their duty to carry out community development projects. They said it is the duty of the government to do so, as their agreement with the federal government is 40/60 percent. Shell also told us that it had no other option than to have the little understanding with us as well as do what they could to avoid disturbance from the communities, since they are operating in our domain.”Onaro state
He also said, it is appalling that since 1968 where oil exploration began in the area, there had never being a comensurable development.
“Our rivers and land where we earn living from, no meaningful development in any of these communities nor any of our sons and daughters gainfully employed by any of the oil companies thereby living the communities in abject poverty and suffering. This may sound unbelievable but it is the raw truth.
“The government, shell and all the companies are taking undue advantage on us right from the inception of their operation in our father’s land. At the time the oil companies came to our land in 1968, our fathers had little awareness and shell took advantage of that and wants to still continue.
“We are passing through pains on daily basis, seeing the natural endowment surrounding us with absolutely nothing to show for it. Yeye- Ekeremo Yeye II, Oguruma, Olokpobiri and other communities under Yeye is peace loving and we have never given headache to our visitors (oil companies) or government. Government and the oil companies operating in our area both at the state and federal level should treat us like human beings and not take our simplicity for granted and push us to the wall as we will no longer tolerate it with our children suffering in the midst of plenty.” Secretary Onated asserted.
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