The people of Tsekelewu community in Egbema Kingdom, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, have warned the Nigerian Petroleum and Development Company (NPDC) against alleged drilling operations in the community saying that they might be forced to disrupt its activities to failure to heed to their warnings.
There has been alleged insensitivity on the part of the oil company to the plight of the people of the community in several years of its operations, especially deaf eared to the people’s 40% demand of all the contracts arising from drilling operations in the area.
But officials of the NPDC who did not want their names in the print, said that the people were allegedly causing trouble especially to ensure no operations in the community, and dismissed any agreement reached for 40% “we have not started full operations in drilling but something is going on in the community and people are just causing troubles” they added.
In a press statement issued by the community’s President, Secretary-General, Asoki Victor, Ebidinana Afari and signed, decried the company’s alleged neglect and warned, “we will not allow any drilling again in our community by NPDC, It must fulfill our 40% agreement, unless”.
Part of the statement reads: “we are aware that NPCD/Ecrest had commenced drilling rig project, and for the interest of peace, we are appealing to the Federal/Delta State Governments to prevail on NDPC/Elcrest to do the needful to avert crisis” adding that the project if not properly handed, could cause serious breach operate in Opuama Field, NPDC Elcrest currently operating the Opuma field in oil mining lease oml 40 formerly owned and operated by shell petroleum and development company (SPDC).
The people further alleged that host communities indigenous are not employed, adding that for instance, when contracts are awarded, it is often given to a chique who are not part of the community.
The statement however urged the NPDC to provide the final report of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the dredging campaign and pipelines replacement going on in the Opuama field area, adding that the project was allegedly taking it’s on the people.
In another development, Oghara youth forums has alleged neglect and deprivation of what are due to them by Kimatrail Nigeria Limited operating in the area.
Edafe Oke, representative of the youth forum explained that the community had suffered untold hardship in the hands of the Kimatrail Company, formerly called JK Rubbers Factory.
Oke further alleged that for over forty years of the company’s operations in the area, the people of the community have nothing to benefit, rather from offensive odour emitting from the factory and called on the authorities concerned to intervene with a view to finding a lasting solution to the odour.
But an official of the company, Julius Akor in a swift reaction, dispelled all allegations against the company as untrue, adding that the company had severally compensated the people since it started operations forty years ago.