Two Feared Dead, OML 30 Community Leaders Alleged; Unite To Tackle Oil Firm

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Two persons have been reported dead in Agbarha-Owhewhe community allegedly over actions of OML 30’s oil operator, being accused of fueling crisis in its host communities.

This is coming as leaders and stakeholders of the OML 30’s operators move to unite and effectively tackle the activities of the oil firms in their communities.

Chairman of the Community Representative Committee (CRC), (Chief) Victor Ohare, gave the hint during an enlarge meeting of stakeholders at the palace of HRM Dr. Wilson Ojakovo, Oharisi lll, the Ovie of Ughelli Kingdom on Wednesday.

According to him, efforts to reach the managing director of HEOSL to address the recent developments as well as the reported failings of the oil company, had received no response.

“The new company that has been alleged to come and take over the community relations department, which is AA Peace Works has created a kind of division in the community, most especially establishing a deployment of community coordinator without the knowledge of the traditional rulers and the PGs and that is creating tension in some communities already.

“It has already led to fracas. We learnt that in Owhewhe Agbarha, two persons have been killed and in some other places there are skirmishes, he alleged.

BigPen Online learnt that there have been allegations of invasion of OML 30 communities by military men, who were supposedly brought in by the yet to be introduced oil operators.

Sources disclosed that operators of OML 30 had employ the services of several firms without proper introductions to community leaders, thus fueling crisis in the host communities.

Apart from that, the known operator, HEOSL, had reportedly failed to meet it necessary obligations to the host communities since it was introduced to them in March 2017.

Speaking at the meeting which had traditional rulers, Community Representative Committee (CRC), as well as the Community Development Board CDB), the paramount traditional ruler of Ughelli Kingdom, charged all parties to unite so as to form a formidable force against the erring company.

Secretary of the traditional rulers’ host to OML 30, who read the address said that the people have been continually marginalised and disregarded by the oil company, saying all hands must be on deck to ensure that HEOSL is stopped from causing more havoc.

“We do not benefit much from the business of oil exploration that is being carried out in our lands, and we are here today to do something about that. We want this trend that has continued for so long to stop.

“Rather than take advantage of the ongoing transition amongst the operators to negotiate our stake in the oil business as a united people, we are divided among ourselves.

“I therefore want to appeal to us that this is not the time to fight amongst ourselves. If we do that now, we should not blame the oil corporations for divide and rule in the future, because we would have succeeded in dividing ourselves for them to take advantage once again”.

On his part, the CDB chairman, Morris Odiovwa, has called on the state and federal governments to wade into the matter.

Remarking that there has been tension in the communities because of the operations of the operators, he pointed out that the Niger Delta has been peaceful lately and the activities of the IOC may cause a breach.

“We, the Niger Delta, especially Delta state, are just recovering from a monstrous attack from 2016. And just when we are picking up, the activities of the IOC have decided to take us back.