OSGOF Seeks Intervention of ONSA, OSGF, NNPC on Oil Community Crisis

6th from Left is the Surveyor General of the Federation, Abdulganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin and other stakeholders at the meeting

"The gathering reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed commitment to ensuring lasting peace between oil companies and their hosts." Adebomehin SGOF

The Surveyor General of the Federation (SGOF) Abduganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin played host to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Sterling Oil and Rumuewhor Community at a high-level strategic fact-finding meeting.

The meeting which held today Wednesday 5, November 2025 at the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation headquarters today, was based on a directive from Federal Government following the petition received from Rumuewhor Community, Emohua Local Government Area in Rivers State over alleged neglect and damage to the community by Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited. 

SGOF emphasized that the gathering reflects President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed commitment to ensuring lasting peace between oil companies and their hosts.

Adebomehin, in his opening remarks, stated that "All the correspondents and letters should be compiled together, what anyone has written to anyone, and it will be handed over to our Legal Unit who will in turn send it to ONSA. It is after then the ONSA will have the right to ask questions on some issues. We have to look at the position of the law and, I am very sure when all the facts are on ground, Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited would be invited. Ours is purely on fact finding.”

Mrs Ademola Abiola, the Assistant Legal Adviser in OSGF while commenting, said; “The Petroleum Industry ACT (PIA)  mandates oil companies to carry out some responsibilities. There are clearly defined roles under the PIA Act and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) ought to monitor the activities of the settlers. Government has to monitor so that the right of the indigene is protected. In the response of Stallion Oil, they are yet to indicate that they have complied with all the provisions, though we cannot adjudge them at this point to be guilty.“

The Director of Energy Security at ONSA in his submission, said; “We need all information to know who signed for what, and, how did they start their operations. We need NUPRC as a regulatory body to tell us about some certain issues on the Community Development Fund. If there is division in the community, NUPRC should be able to tell us. Until we have information at ONSA, the first thing is that we need all the information because of the attachment they are mentioning here. We need all, so as to give us the opportunity to know who to ask questions and all of that. It is a simple matter; we have a regulatory body and we also have those who are supposed to be the leaders of the Community and those who are to interface with the Operator. When we get all these informations, the oil company can then be invited after the ONSA has done all their investigation to ascertain if the right of the community is violated."

Ezehow Prophet Azundah who spoke on behalf of the community, said; “The company has been operating for three years. They have found oil in large commercial quantities and gas. Also, the injustice has been suffered as the Local Content Act has not been followed regarding the employment of indigenes of the land. The individual that was employed does not even earn more #80,000-#100,000 or thereabout“.

He said: “Recently, one of the trucks of Sterling Global Oil destroyed about nine electricity poles in the community and the CDC that intervened were dealt with by soldiers; they use soldiers to intimidate us.”

He added that they have written letters to the Chief of Defence Staff and the Chief of Army Staff regarding how the military is being used to maltreat them.

In closing his remarks, he prayed to the Surveyor-General of the Federation to intervene so that there can be peace in the land and for them to have their rights restored.

In his letter to SGOF, the Group Managing Director of Stallion Oil, A.O. Chukwueke said “the allegations contained in the petition are unfounded and unsupported by evidence as the company operates in strict compliance with all relevant statutory and regulatory provisions” 

This is contained in a statement issued and signed by Henry David, Head, Information and Public Relations of the OSGOF.