OIL & GAS PRODUCING COMMUNITIES IN OROGUN Oil mining lease( oml 30) which is the flagship onshore mining lease in delta state was operated by SPDC for over 50 years until it divested its interest recently to NPDC and SHORELINES RESOURCES without involving the communities in anyway. In the over 5 decades that SPDC operated the said OML 30, despite the fact that the crude oil therein is rated as one of the highest quality in the globe, coupled with the fact that its production level is very high, SPDC totally neglected all the host communities in terms of infrastructural and social/ human development. Immediately the communities became aware that in spite of all our demands, the divestment exercise was concluded without our demands being addressed, we again channelled our demands to the new operators of the oml 30 and this time around opened several windows for a robust discussion with our communities traditional rulers and community heads. This peaceful agitation was again ignored and thwarted by NPDC $ SHORELINES RESOURCES. Our modest demands as host communities in orogun field are as follows: I) payment of arrears of rental and leases. 2) remediation of our environment and avoidance of further environmental degradation. 3) 5% of production must be invested for community development 4) 25% equity shares must be invested in communities. 5) adequate electricity supply for the host communities. 6) employment of 80% skilled and 100% unskilled workers of indigenes. 7) indigenes of the host communities must be given the first right of refusal of any contract whatsoever been awarded by the company. 8) A workable integrated developmental plan for host communities. 9) All contracts awarded within the sum of #1,000,000,000.00(one billion naira) and below must be reserved for indigenous contractors. It is pertinent to state that our patience have been over stretched. Our love for peace and strong belief that dialogue is a better approach in situation of this nature has been frustrated by the establishment and their JV partner, We have decided not to continue to fold our arms and allow the company further degrade our communities without urgently and satisfactorily addressing our aforesaid demands, and also to this effect, SHUT DOWN the facility that produces almost 50,000 barrels of crude daily. We are prepared to defend and protect out God given resources and interest with the last drop of our blood against anybody including NPDC $ SHORELINES RESOURCES if our demands are not met. We will not accept any injustice or oppression in this regard. The facility has now been shut down for almost a week and has cost the company almost 14,000,000,000.00(14 billion naira) lost. This will continue while negotiation is on and until we agree, the facility will remain down. WE SAY NO TO MARGINALIZATION!
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 15:17:56 +0000