18 August 2015, Warri – The people of oil-rich Kokodiagbene, an Ijaw community in Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, have given Chevron Nigeria Limited, a two-week ultimatum to implement a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, entered with the community to provide it electricity or face disruption of its activities.
Similarly, Ndokwa youths, under the aegis of Pages Group International, PGI, have issued a one week ultimatum to Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, operators of the Independent Power Plant, IPP in Okpai, Ndokwa East Local Government Area, to commence the process of stepping down the plant to boost electricity supply to the people of Ndokwa nation or risk the shutting down of the facility.
President of PGI, Chocky Chukwuma, who addressed newsmen in Kwale, noted that the IPP was commissioned over 10 years ago with an assurance that it would be stepped down for the use of the Ndokwa people, decrying that the company had reneged on its promise to the people.
“It is disheartening to note that despite the presence of the power plant in Ndokwa land, our people cannot boast of 30 minutes of uninterrupted power supply, whereas in other areas where such facilities are located, they were stepped down for the use of the people of those places,” he said.
Meanwhile, the people of oil-rich Kokodiagbene, rising from a meeting, said that the community, host to Chevron’s Otunana Flow Station, producing about 10,000 barrels of crude oil per day, signed the pact with Chevron in 1998.
They said the company only gave them a generating plant 10 years after, as a stopgap measure to upgrade its gas facility, as it did with communities hosting its Abiteye facility, but expressed surprise that while the generating plant had packed up and the community thrown into darkness, the firm’s facility, about two kilometers away, was operating without hitch.
It will be recalled that irate youths and women attempted, last Thursday, to shut down the company’s operations, but leaders of the community prevailed on them to exercise patience.
Chairman of Kokodiagbene community, Sheriff Mulade, confirmed to Vanguard that the two-week ultimatum was to enable the company implement the MoU reached by the two parties.
He, however, called on youths and women of the community to exercise restraint, as the cause of disagreement would be resolved amicably.
– Vanguard
