Ndokwa threaten to shut oil firms over unpaid rents, others

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Buhari
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(Last Updated On: 2020-08-13)

THE Umusadege-Ogbe community of Ndokwa in Delta State have called on the Presidency to urge Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and defaulting oil and gas firms in the area to pay up outstanding compensations and penalties for non-renewal of their Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).

It threatened that failure to pay ground rents to the host communities would result in serious consequences.

The community sent a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari, through Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs.

It was signed by Chief Augustine Opia, who led Ndokwa leaders to the Presidency, to lament the alleged neglect of Ndokwa by successive governments.

The petition reads: ”The difficult and provoking situation of NAOC has made our agitation to be tense and restive as people in the community are seriously threatening total shut down of the operations of oil companies in our soil, being reason for this last effort to seek your urgent response to avert avoidable public disturbances.”

Opia urged the Presidency to save Ndokwa from the high handedness of NAOC by urging it to engage with the community to develop, produce and sign a mutually beneficial Memorandum of Agreement and Understanding.

Continuing, the Umusadege group urged NAOC to pay delayed compensatory benefits, including project funds and alleged rents and remunerations, totalling $211,483,713.68, to Umusadege-Ogbe for 42 years of NAOC operations in the land.

It urged the company to, among others: give jobs to qualified youths under the local content law; award contract to qualified indigenes and Ndokwa companies; and restore the seven-year old contracts and employment deficit for the benefit of qualified Umusadege-Ogbe natives.”

Opia said: “The President may wish to convene a subpoena or, cause a roundtable meeting between both parties (Umusadge-Ogbe and NAOC) to be superintended by government as a way to having a lasting solution to the problems.

He added: “The roundtable should be held early to avert any ugly consequence of further delay in the resolution of the problems; this will be the last attempt by leaders of Ndokwa to seek dialogue with appropriate authorities, we urge the Federal Government  to direct those provoking people to desist from opening another theatre of conflict.”

The Opia group noted that the oil and gas companies, such as Agip OML 60, among others, had been undermining the MoUs signed with Ndokwa communities.

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