OML 40: Tension in Delta as Belief-Gbene gives three days ultimatum to correct anomaly
Ndu Samuel
There seem to be tension brewing in Delta State as the people of Belief- Gbene, a community in Warri North Local Government Area have given a three days ultimatum to hamdlers of OML40 to urgently recognise them as host community by paying them their entitlements owing to oil exploration activities in the area or risk their counter reactions to it.
They have particularly called on the oil committee in charge of OML 40 to without delay, commence the payment of all compensational entitlements accrued to them as well as allow them access to job and other opportunities in the ongoing exploration works at OML40 within 3 working days or face reactionary consequence.
This was contained in a communique which was signed by the trio of Comrade Famous Belief Wonikiri Ebi, Engr. Cletus Kilegha and Pst. Engr. Michael Maye ,Chairman, Secretary and PRO respectively of the community, a copy of which was sent to The Liberator Newspaper on Saturday.
The group regretted that Belief- Gbene community have over the years been shortchanged, maligned and also left out of the ongoing dredging, drilling, pipeline, installation and exploration as well as job process of the OmL40.
According to the communique, the Belief -Gbene community remains the biggest host community that has been unjustly denied all opportunity to benefit from multi national oil companies despite being part of communities hosting OML40
They expressed total displeasure over what they described as unjustifiable oppression and denial by their mother communities through their respective committees interfacing between hostcoms and oil companies.
They therefore made the following declarations , stating their demands which they want the oil committees to respond to or face reactionary consequence from them.
It reads ”That Belief- Gbene community has been updating the management of Nigeria Petroleum Development Company NPDC/ELCREST OML40 and our mother communities Polobubo and Opuama communities through our letters addressed to the company over the encroachment and invasion of our community by the above company and also the need for an adequate compensation and interrelationship. ”
” That it has come to our notice that the oil committee of Opuama community manned by CHIEF JOHNBULL ADAUN and Polobubo community manned by MR BORO OLOGUN who negotiated and signed on behalf of us purportedly doctored the process to our detriment which must be remedied immediately. ”
” That in our realest information search, meetings, movements etc has come to our notice that; the job was negotiated on behalf of us ( BELIEF-GBENE COMMUNITY inclusive) per hackers of land at the rate of four million naira (#4,000,000 ) and over sixty two( 62) hackers of land was negotiated and when multiply with the total of sixty two will give a sum of two hundred and forth eight million naira (#248,000,000) but the committee unjustifiably denied us and also misinformed us of what was negotiated and signed on behalf of us by reporting the lie bellow ”
Explaining futher, they said ”it was negotiated at the rate of two million five hundred naira (#2,500,000) submit only fifty one (51) hackers of land which is one hundred and seventy five million naira (127,500,000) with different of a hundred and twenty million five hundred naira (#120,500,000) ”
Also ” that the oil committee displayed an unacceptable embezzlement and also playing an oil politics utterly detrimental to our lives by misinforming us and denying BELIEF- GBENE COMMUNITY of our necessary benefits/right, trading with our collective interest and also diverting to self our Compensational funds, impact assessment and local content benefits which is against the laws of the land and we will never and ever take this purported broad daylight robbery against us.
They however want the oil committee to do the needful by paying them all entitlements accrued to them and allow them access to contracts , employment and empowerment
“That in the light of the above we hereby give both oil committees three(3) working days commencing from today ; to provide (show) us the signed original documents, pay us our compensational funds from the #248,000,000 and other necessities and provide us our impact assessment/local content necessary benefits from inception to date unreservedly such as: Contracts, Empowerment,Employment, Equipments Skill works, Non skill works
and Damages”.
They emphasized. ” that BELIEF-GBENE COMMUNITY is among the host beneficiaries as revealed; we hence see no reason why we have been unreasonably and unjustifiably rubbed, oppressed, omitted and deprived of our community right, funds and benefits of a negotiation that we are part of and considering other community as beneficiary. ”
” We are however, using this medium to warn and advice you to see the urgent need to do the needful within the duration of this three(3) working days giving to you as grace and that any attempt to act otherwise will be met with an equal and opposite reaction. ” they warned.
