57 Marginal oil fields: Urhobo condemns exclusion, hands FG 7 days ultimatum

• Threatens shut down of oil activities in communities

By Jimitota Onoyume

WARRI—Urhobo nation has condemned the ongoing bid process for 57 marginal fields, saying that they would not tolerate a situation where sons and daughters of the ethnic nationality with the capacity to own marginal fields in their communities were shut out in the process.

Briefing newsmen in Warri, Delta State, yesterday, President Campaign for the Economic Survival of Urhobo Nation, CATESUN,  Olorogun Ese Kakor  handed the Federal Government a seven-day ultimatum to reverse the process or they would shut down oil exploration activities across Urhobo communities.

Flanked by Morris Idiovwa, Emuobosa Harry, Chief Emmanuel Tobo and several others, he said one week had elapsed in the two weeks ultimatum earlier handed the Federal Government in an Open Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari, adding that the government has one week left to review the process or they would mobilise to shut down oil exploration activities in the various communities.

He said, “A week has been exhausted from the two weeks of grace included in the open letter from today, there is just one week left for steps to remedy the situation to be taken,  failure to start correcting the wrongs of the years by calling off the current grossly unjust process of ceding out these 57 marginal oil fields, start afresh process, which shall give Urhobo men and women interested in participating in oil and gas activities, the unfettered and privileged access in a new more transparent and Niger Delta friendly process will be met with equal still resistance by our people.

“If by July 20, 2020, this unjust inhuman and definite process of giving the 57 marginal fields out with the exclusion of Urhobo people, is not terminated, the Urhobo nation will take the definite action of shutting down all oil and gas operations going on within her territories.

“Urhobo is one of the largest oil producers in the country, the largest in Delta with a labyrinth of pipelines, oil wells, flow stations, gas station and other facilities located across the length and breadth of our land.

Urhobo land is housing Chevron main office in the state, the Nigerian Gas Company, NGC, the Warri Refining Petrochemical company, WRPC. The Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, is operating in Ughelli North, Udu, Ethiope East, Ughelli South and Uvwie through OML 26,30,34  and 65. Seplat oil company is operating in Sapele and Okpe LGAs in OML 4,30,38 and 38. Pan Ocean Company operates in Ovade and other communities in Ethiope West through OML 98.”

 

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