Youths and women in the Niger Delta host communities stormed the oil field operated by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Delta State today, shutting down the production and forcing reduction in the production output to 250,000 barrels per day.
They are four Ijaw and one Itsekiri communities, namely: Kokodiagbene, Okerenkoko, Akpatagbegbe, Akpataegbemu and Omadino, all in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State.
The protesters said to have ordered oil workers to vacate the flow station in their best interests owing to grievances over the alleged breach of the Memorandum of Understanding signed with them by the indigenous oil firm.
Spokesperson for the communities, Sheriff Mulade, said alleged that the award of contracts have not been following due process and the local content policy of government, adding that the communities have been shortchanged for too long by the firms.
The communities called on the Federal Government to investigate the activities of NPDC and its major contractor, even as they appealed to the security agencies, especially the Joint Task Force not to play into the hands of the two oil firms as their demands were germane.
Mulade bemoaned the devastating effect of oil exploration and exploitation activities, which they said, have wiped out means of livelihood and destroyed the pristine beauty of their environment.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government to carefully and thoroughly investigate NPDC and Nestoil over connivance to award contracts to themselves and their cronies.
“We have evidences to buttress our claims on the contracts and other sharp practices going on in the two firms.
“We are also appealing to the security agencies not to allow the oil firms to use them against the host communities because of their interests but should look at the issues critically because the communities are major stakeholders in the business.” [myad]
