THERE IS NORMALCY NOW IN NIGER DELTA......OKOWA TELLS OIL COYS

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state has charged International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other corporate organisations that suspended their operations in the state in the heat of hostilities to come back as normalcy has since returned to the areas.

The Delta state governor stated this in Warri while addressing representatives of 17 cluster communities in Warri Urban and its environs to round off the two- week advocacy on the roadmap for the actualisation of community engagement with oil and gas-producing communities in Delta South Senatorial District of the state, saying most of the issues that led to the problem have been addressed.

The communities include Ode-Itsekiri, Orugbo, Ugbuwangue, Ugbori, Dandu, Iyara, Ekurede-Itsekiri, Ubeji, Egbokodo, Omadino, Ogunu, Edjeba, Agbasa, Igbudu, Okere, Okurede-Urhobo and Ogbe-Ijoh.

Represented by the state Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr. Mofe Pirah, the Governor said, “aside the high powered committee led by the Deputy Governor that visited some of the communities and other steps taken by the state government at addressing the problem, the visit of the Vice- President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, to the areas has helped in dousing tensions in the oil -producing communities and since April-June last year, there has been no case of terrorist attack on oil pipelines”.

 “The engagement session with the oil-producing communities was to create another forum to share ideas with the people on the best way forward, especially now that some of the IOCs, including SPDC, have indicated interest to return. There must be an enabling environment for the companies to operate”.

Governor Okowa stressed that the time to change from the old way of doing things, where community leaders go into negotiations with companies for their immediate gains, instead of equity participation of the communities, is now as the people cannot continue to suffer in the midst of plenty.

“Government will continue to encourage peaceful communities by attracting development projects to the areas. No meaningful progress can be made in an environment of disunity, restiveness and crisis”.

“I appeal to you all to go back to your places, organize town hall meetings with your people and explain to them the need to shun all acts capable of discouraging investments in the state. Say ‘no’ to pipeline vandalism, equipment theft, kidnapping, armed robbery and stoppage of work on site. Steps are being taken to outlaw multiple levies on developers by communities, particularly in Warri and Uvwie axis of the state, as the ugly development was driving investors away from the areas", he added.

"We must abandon our old ways of doing things or we perish. Again, the time to change is now”.

Some of the community representatives, who spoke, agreed that the relocation of companies like Shell, Pan Ocean and Westminister Dredging, among others, away from Warri has negatively impacted on the stakeholders and commended the steps being taken by government for their return.

They decried the under-development of the communities and apportioned the blame to both government’s negligence, the failure of the oil companies in their corporate social responsibility, disunity among the people and selfishness of some of the communities leaders.

The state government’s advocacy on the road map for actualisation of community engagement sessions with oil and gas-producing communities in Delta South Senatorial District of the state took the Commissioner to Burutu, Ogidigben, Koko, Oleh, Batan and Warri, where he addressed over 70 cluster community representatives.
 The Delta State Government was also in Batan in Warri South-West Local Government Area, with a charge on the people to allow peace reign to encourage development in the localities.

The Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr. Mofe Pirah, who is leading the delegation on behalf of the state Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, reassured the communities of government‘s commitment to righting the perceived wrongs of the past.

The Commissioner, while addressing the representatives of 11 cluster communities of Diebiri, Batan, Odidi, Kusimi Tekedor, Ewaregbene, Ajuju, Dibigbene, Eresinegbene, Ibobi-Tondigha, Kebigbene and Kokologbene, agreed with the people that some of the IOCs have failed in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Pirah, however, stressed the need for all to put the past behind them and forge a new direction for the common destiny of people, noting “the relocation of a good number of companies out of the state had negatively affected every stakeholder, particularly in oil and gas business”.

He announced the intention of some of the companies to return to the state after their discussions with the state government, saying that it would be to the benefit of the communities to embrace the development by making the environment peaceful for them to return.Mr. Pirah pointed out; “some community leaders had, in the past, traded with the destiny of the people. I appeal to those involved to change the old ways of doing things by laying less emphasis on their immediate gains but the future of the people, particularly the youths”.

The Honourable Commissioner stated that government had kept quiet for too long and allowed youth activities drive away investors from the state, disclosing that, aside the bill to outlaw multiple community levies in the state, the state government was championing a new orientation for value change among the people.

Some of the community leaders and representatives, who spoke, said the communities have been neglected for too long, noting that “hunger as a result of denial means hunger in the midst of plenty and it is more devastating than the natural one”.

The community representatives emphasised that most of the IOCs have failed in  their corporate social responsibility, saying that some of them capitalised on the limited knowledge of the people, as well as applied divide-and-rule game to shortchange the communities.