Community Indigenes Appeal For FG, Delta Govt’s Intervention Over Oil Firms Neglect

BY CHINEDU AMEDE

INDIGENES of Ogbeani Community in Utagba Ogbe Kingdom, Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Govern­ment Area of Delta State, have appealed to the Fed­eral and Delta State govern­ments, to intervene and prevail on Sterling Explo­ration, Energy Production Company and its partner Ashthavina Yak Hydro Car­bon Limited to implement the Memorandum Of Un­derstanding (MoU) they signed with the community 19 years ago

Their appeal was con­tained in a statement to Journalists, while on a peaceful protest over the continued neglect of the community at the premises of the companies in Kwale, recently.

According a communi­ty leader, Chief Ukadike Enumah, who spoke on be­half of other indigenes, the companies acquired their vast area of land they are oc­cupying in 2017 for explo­ration operations, leading to the signing of a Memo­randum Of Understanding (MoU) between the com­munity and the companies.

Chief Enumah alleged that the management of the companies have failed to implement the MoU until date, noting that their farm lands were no longer fertile due to the activities of the oil firms, which has adversely affected their source of live­lihood as the indigenes were mainly farmers.

While alleging that their farm lands were grabbed without alternative means of livelihood for them, he added that several entreat­ies through letters and visits made to the companies on the need for renewal and implementation of the existing MOU were never acted upon.

Speaking further, he maintained the protesters will remain peaceful as they are law abiding, while ap­pealing to the Federal and Delta State governments to prevail upon the companies Managements to act fast and implement all contents of the MoU signed with the community, failure of which would amount to pushing them to the wall, a situa­tion they said might lead to chaos and anarchy.

Though the protest was peaceful as there was pres­ence of armed security men but the indigenes turned out largely with placards bear­ing “President Tinubu, Gov. Oborevwori please come to our rescue”, *Don’t take our Peaceful disposition for granted”, “Don’t let us exhaust our patience, en­durance, and tolerance on your negligible attitude”, “ “Our farm lands and fish ponds are no longer fertile and productive” “Give us our rightful benefits as your host community”.

Others who spoke to jour­nalists include; Chief Bar. Ken. Onwuka , Chief Daniel Ogwu, Chief Sunday Nwose, and Mrs Esther Akpati, who expressed grievances against the gross margin­alization, denial and total abandonment of the MoU by the companies manage­ments.