Samuel Oyadongha
14 October 2011, Sweetcrude, Yenagoa-The KEFFES host communities in Bayelsa State have issued a 7 day ultimatum to American oil company, Chevron to stop ongoing exploration and gas drilling project at OML 86 on the Atlantic of the state failure of which they threatened to disrupt the company’s operations.
Rising from a two day marathon meeting of KEFFES, acronym for Koluama I & II, Ekeni, Fish Town, Foropa, Ezetu I &II and Sangana, the representatives of the communities expressed disappointment at the company’s management over the exploration and gas drilling projects at OML 86 North-Apoi, Funiwa in their territory without making public the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
The communities in a letter addressed to the management of the company signed by Bravery Salgbe, Oweizidei Abaka, Uriah Idon, Job Cole among others in which they copied the state Commissioner for Environment, the Commander of the Joint Task Force, Director of the SSS and the state commissioner of police, are demanding 50 per cent of employment chances of employment slot from the Agbami oil field, which they claimed fell within the territory of KEFFES Host communities.
They also want the company to make available to the leadership of KEFFES the report of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on the ongoing exploration and gas drilling project in the area.
The letter read in part, “we write to express in the strongest terms our dissatisfaction and disappointment with Chevron management over the exploration and gas drilling project at OML 86 North Apoi, Funiwa in our region.
“We are both surprised and angry that our patience and goodwill have been exploited to an unacceptable extent, where our sources of livelihood are adversely affected due to your company operations without environmental impact assessment report.”
The communities warned that they might be forced to disrupt the company”s operation if the management fail to meet their demands.
