– Alleging local content violations
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Youths from the Effiat and Mbo communities in Akwa Ibom State, have issued a 21-day ultimatum to Oriental Energy Resources Limited, OERL, threatening to disrupt its operations over alleged violations of Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB’s community content guidelines.
The youths under the auspices of Obolo Youth Coalition Worldwide accused the oil company, which operates OML 115 and OML 67 – Ebok and Okwok fields – of reneging on agreements to provide jobs and opportunities for local indigenes, as mandated by the NCDMB.
President General of the Coalition, Emmanuel Essang, briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt, described the company’s actions as exploitative and vowed to occupy all facilities associated with OERL if their demands are not met.
“We are not asking for charity; we are demanding our rightful share. Our communities are suffering while Oriental Energy continues to profit from our resources. Enough is enough.”
Essang highlighted the agreements reached at the NCDMB office in Eket, which according to him stipulate that 50% of semi-skilled jobs and 10% of skilled jobs should be reserved for the host communities.
He lamented that the company’s failure to honour these agreements has caused “untold hardship” in Effiat and Mbo communities.
The group also called for transparency in the company’s dealings, including its vendor agreements, to ensure that local communities benefit from its operations.
“If Oriental Energy fails to meet with us and comply within 21 days, we will take control of their facilities. We will not let them continue to exploit our land and resources without offering anything in return.”
The youths also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene, urging him to prevail on the management of OERL to comply with NCDMB’s community content guidelines.
They warned that failure to address the issues could spark a crisis with far-reaching consequences for the company and the region.
