The Federal government has called on International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the Niger Delta Region to honour Memorandum of Understanding MoUs with host communities to avoid crises that may lead to shutdown of operations.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President, Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang made the call during a meeting with Umusadege Community, Utagba kingdom-Ogbe Kingdom, Ndokwa, Delta State on the resolution of issues relating to nonpayment of ground rent and the cheating of their clans in the Memorandum of Understanding MoUs with Oil and gas operating companies like Agip OML 60 among others in Abuja.
According to Senator Ita Enag, “the federal government will not tolerate any form of violence between IOC and host Communities given the fragile nature of the economy and the Covid-19 pandemic challenging the global economy, call on IOCs to respect”
According to the federal Presidential Aide, government of Nigeria will not allow the disruption of the economy of the country through irreconcilable differences between the host communities and International Oil Companies (IOC) due to violations of the term contained in the GMOU (s)
“This is because revenue from oil and gas transactions and the sustainable peace of the Niger Delta Region is strategic for the implementation of government policies and programms at all levels .“ he stated.
Earlier, The Umusadege –Ogbe Community of Ndokwa land, Delta state, called on the Presidency to urge Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and all defaulting Oil and Gas Companies to immediately pay compensations and penalties for non-renewal of MOU and failure to pay ground rent to the host communities.
According to them, “the difficult and provoking situation of NAOC has made our agitation to be tensely and restive as people in the community are seriously threatening total shut down of their operations, being reason for this last effort to seek your urgent response to avert avoidable public disturbances”.
They people want the presidency to save them from the high handedness of NAOC by urging them to promptly engage with the community to develop, produce and sign a mutually beneficially Memorandum of Agreement and Understanding between the two parties.
According to their demand vide documents, submitted to the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Niger Delta Affairs. They also want NAOC to pay without delay, the long accrued compensatory benefits, including projects funds and unpaid 42-year land rents to Umusadege-Ogbe community as it hosts community to the tune of $211,483,713.68 (USD) Only covering land rentage and remunerations due to Umusadege –Ogbe in the 42 years of NAOC operations in the land which has not been paid yet.
Some of the prayers include, “provide adequate employment to our qualified youths as prescribed under the local content law of the land, Award contract to deserving and qualified citizens and companies of Umusadege-Ogbe extraction and restore all the seven –year contracts and employment deficit for the benefits of qualified Umusadege –ogbe natives”.
In their submission “The President may wish to convene a subpoena, or a 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 problem” adding that “The roundtable should be held early to avert any ugly consequence of further delay in the resolution of the problems:
According to the Ndokwa people, “this will be the last attempt by the leaders of Ndokwa nation to seek dialogue with appropriate authorities, we urge the federal government to direct those provoking people to desist from opening another theater of conflict”.
