…Petitions govt
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Olugboboro community, hosts to Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC’s, Tebidaba flow station in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, has accused the oil company of abdicating its social obligations to the people.
To this end, the community has sought the intervention of the Bayelsa State Government to resolve the rift with the oil firm.
The community, in a letter to the Deputy Governor of of the state, said Olugbobiri and Olugboboro communities of Olodiama clan in Southern Ijaw are the hosts to the facility operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC.
The letter, signed by the Community Development Committee, CDC, Chairman of Olugboboro, Mr Wisdom Bazighe, and the Traditional Ruler, Chief Ebilatei Berepigi, said Agip had in defiance of existing agreements to develop the host communities, sidelined Olugboboro in employment, development projects and community contracts.
The community said the breach of a 1973 agreement with NAOC following the joint release of the 13.6 hectares land hosting the flow station and several oil wells since the late 1990s, had led to a frosty relation which has kept degenerating.
The community disclosed that for over 48 years of Agip’s operation in the area, no indigene of Olugboboro has been employed by the company, neither junior, senior nor even contract staff.
The letter read in part: “Another source of pain between Agip and the Olugboro community is the company’s deliberate refusal to consider Olugboboro Indigenes for service contracts.
“As a host community we are deprived of the community contracts quota that is a standard practice, even the jobs reserved for host communities Community Content Guidelines have eluded us.
“Agip reserves certain categories of jobs for other host communities but the reverse is the case for Olugboboro community.
“We have decided to tow this path of peaceful dialogue believing that you will wade in and call Agip to order and stop the situation from degenerating into chaos and violence which appears to be the only language Agip understands.”
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