By 
Residents of some oil-producing states have expressed displeasure against multinational and indigenous oil companies for neglecting their communities.
The oil-producing states include Delta, Bayelsa, Ondo, Edo, Abia, Rivers, Imo, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom.
Scores of aggrieved youths of Isoko ethnic nationality in Delta state under the auspices of Isoko Development Union (IDU) youths wing, on March 27, barricaded the ever-busy Emevor-Iyede-Ughelli Asaba expressway as they staged a peaceful protest over the marginalisation of the community by the state government.
The president of the IDU, youth wing, Comrade Obokpaino Fidelis, who led the protest said that “the protest is as a result of the marginalisation of the Isoko land by the Delta state government and the multinational oil companies operating in Isoko land.”
According to him, the multinational oil companies operating in Isoko land have been denying the host communities of their corporate social responsibilities and whenever they are approached for dialogue.
He said that, “Isoko Development Union, youths wing was created 16 months ago, saddled with the responsibilities of handling all youths activities in Isoko nation.
“But since its creation till now, the state government has resolved not to give IDU youth wing attention for interaction.
“We are being denied of our corporate social responsibilities by the multinational oil companies operating in Isoko land.
“And whenever we approached the Oil Companies for dialogue, they refused granting us audience.
“Even the commissioner of police, the army, and DSS, including the state government, denied us audience.
“We are being marginalized of the N10 million social security fund which the state government is giving to other ethnic nationalities across the state.
“Also, we are being marginalized of the social corporate responsibilities which all oil companies exploring crude oil in Isoko land is supposed to perform to our youths, women, and men.
“That’s why we are here to express our displeasure to the state government and all multinational oil companies operating in Isoko.
“We say no to marginalisation.
“We are therefore demanding an interactive session with the state government to present our demands to the executive governor of Delta state, Ifeanyi Okowa, and the multinational oil companies operating in Isoko land,” Obokpaino added.
Recall that a journalist from Al-Jazeera, few years ago, interviewed a notorious Niger Delta pirate called the Black Devils.
During the interview, the leader of the group revealed why they have continued to abduct expatriates who come into the oil-producing states for business purposes.
The leader of the notorious gang stated that, “This is the Black Devil, also known as Aku Omega Five. I have 45 men working for me.
“However, they are not always on ground with me. I usually send some of them for operations. We kidnap expatriates who come to our town for our natural resources.
“My target depends on the kind of security aboard the ship. Before we get to the sea, the security men will open fire at us.
“And whenever, they open fire, I instruct my boys to retaliate by shooting at them.
“I have only lost just one of my boys after over six to seven years of operation.
“My boys are uncountable. If 20 security men are on the boat, usually we kill five amongst them and we will take their guns.
“After the death of some of these security agents, others will flee and I would proceed to the engine room of the boat to ask the captain to come down.
“I will then ask the captain the total amount of the money they have on board, and if he does not want to release the money, I will have no choice but to blow his head off.
“We don’t go for Indians and Philipinos because they are too cheap. We target Europeans.
“Most especially, Americans and French. From these kind of hostages, we stand to collect at least N50 million.
“The ransom collection is usually done in locations sent to the victim’s family. I don’t use banks so my boys are always there to collect the ransom.
“I always warn the families of the victims not to contact security agents before coming or else we will kill them.
“We use this money collected as ransom to buy ammunition, speed boats and the rest to take care of our families.
“We are doing this because we don’t have jobs. Expatriates come to our towns to exploit crude oil but they don’t employ us and other indigenes.
“I have five children, two are in the university and I don’t have a job. How am I expected to train them financially?
“Any expatriate or foreign company coming to settle down here for our natural resources must settle with us first.
“If they can’t settle with us, we won’t let them operate. The Black Devils are always on standby,” he added.
Also, at least eight oil-producing communities in Rivers state, in January 2023, raised the alarm over the neglect of their communities by the state government and oil firms despite their contribution to the national economy and the 13 percent derivative fund allocated to their states.
The communities include Odiemerenyi in Ahoada East, Bomu in Gokana, George-Pepple in Bonny, Idama Ekulama in Akuku Toru, Oyigbo Urban in Oyigbo, Umuechem in Etche, Akpabu in Emohua and Ali-Ohuru in Omoku, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas of Rivers state.
Not only is the rate of unemployment high in these areas but the communities are currently being plagued by dilapidated health centres, lack of potable water, and absence of electricity, including dilapidated internal roads.
Many residents of oil-producing states believe that oil and gas companies come to their communities to drill crude oil and pay less attention to the growth and infrastructural development of the areas.
Similarly, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC) worldwide, in 2020, beamed its searchlight on oil companies refusing to sign agreements with its host communities and those flouting terms in Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) they reached with their hosts.
The IYC said that it would go after oil and gas companies laying off their employees from Ijaw extraction.
The group noted that it was disturbed by the relationship existing between the Ogulagha Community in Burutu local government area of Delta state and the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
The youths said that the company resorted to using retrenchment and downsizing as a tool of oppression against their brothers and sisters without minding the economic effects of their action during the COVID-19 pandemic.
It claimed that in Peretorugbene community of Ekeremor local government area of Bayelsa state, Excel Exploration and Production Company, operators of NNPC/ Shell Eremor field (OML 46), refused to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with its host community.
The group added that the oil firms, despite being in the business of exploring and exploiting oil from these communities for over 30 years, had completely abandoned their corporate social responsibilities (CSR) in the areas of scholarships, employment, and empowerment for its host communities.
The IYC added that the situation is the same in all the core LGAs of oil-producing states in the country.
Meanwhile, some residents of the states claim that the oil companies are not to be blamed for the lack of infrastructures in the Niger Delta region.
They stated that these oil firms have an allocated amount of money which they render to government officials, but usually end up being diverted by government parastatals.
Some residents also alleged that these government officials squander the money and secure jobs for their loved ones in these companies, without doing nothing for the people of the host communities.
It is worth noting that when Godswill Akpabio was the chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board, some indigenes of oil-producing states alleged that the former minister of Niger Delta affairs had more northerners in his team.
It was learnt that Akpabio acted this way because he was hoping that northerners will compensate him with the presidential ticket of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), at the party’s primary in 2022.
However, he lost the ticket to Bola Tinubu, former governor of Lagos state, who eventually emerged as the winner of the presidential poll on February 25, 2023.
Comments