Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The people of Obosi community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, have lifted the over one month blockade at the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, NAOC/NNPC gas plant in Omoku.
Paramount Ruler of Obosi, H.R.H. Dr. Friday Okoji-Okoro, explained that the development was made possible following the intervention of the Presidency, through the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Ita Enang.
Eze Okoji-Okoro disclosed that the people have faced untold hardship in the last 40years, despite NAOC’s operation in the area, adding that some faceless people in the community usually connived with the management of Agip to sidelined the community.
He said the community had to block the gas plant, following Agip’s refusal to implement the agreement reached in a meeting summoned by the Presidency, while commending Sen. Ita Enang for his quick intervention and security agencies for their professionalism in handling the protest.
According to him, “It is about marginalisation by NAOC and some faceless cabal in Omoku, that have been hijacking and collecting what belongs to Obosi. Agip has been operating in our community for over 40years, we have flowlines, oil wells, yet nothing gets to Obosi.
“So we began to agitate and the agitation took us to the Federal Government in Abuja. We had fought within the state but there was no result, until the Presidency intervened and after written agreement, Agip failed to implement the agreement.
“We now decided to make a blockade, the blockade has lasted a month and eight days before the federal government’s intervention.
“The Presidency through the SSA to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen Ita Enang, called and pleaded with us that we should lift the blockade since the top management of Agip has met him in Abuja, and they have agreed to implement that agreement and they have fixed a meeting this week.”
Earlier today, there was a protest at the entrance of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company in Omoku, following alleged failure of the Italian firm to honour the agreement reached between them and the host community, before the Presidency.
Leader of the protest, Mr. Pureheart Ekeukwu, said the people are demanding that the Federal Government sets an inquiry, on why the NAOC should not comply with its directive to transact with the host communities in Omoku.
Ekeukwu said the people of Obosi wants the Federal Government to revoke the operational licence of Agip, should the oil multinational fails to obey the directive given by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Ita Enang.
“It beats our imagination that an oil company would flagrantly disobey an order by the Federal Government of Nigeria, we now wonder where our hope lies in this country.
“We are therefore calling on the government and well meaning individuals and other stakeholders to prevail on NAOC, to comply with the Federal Government’s directive. At this point we are keen to know who is behind the non-implementation of the FG’s directve both in Omoku and in NAOC.
“We are also saying that the Federal Government of Nigeria should immediately revoked the licence of NAOC,” Ekeukwu said.