By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor,       South-South
UZERE kingdom in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State is the second place oil was found in Nigeria in 1958 after Olobiri in Bayelsa State and like Olobiri, its story in the past 53 years has been that of lamentation.

According to community sources, Uzere at the peak of production, produced 56,000 barrels of oil per day from 39 oil wells in two fields, Uzere East and West and has nothing tangible so show for it, even with continued gas flaring and pollution of its environment.

Tuesday, last week, the people decided to take their destiny in their hands by leading a protest to the Uzere Flow Station, operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC. Their mission was to demand for the signing of a Global Memorandum of Understanding, GMOU, with the host communities in the kingdom, as the oil company had done with other communities.

protest: Uzere youths protesting at Shell Petroleum Development Company facility in Uzere,Tuesday. PHOTO: Akpokona Omafuaire.

The peaceful protest by about 5,000 persons snowballed to a bloody combat between the military and mobile policemen, who fought on the side of the oil company and the villagers, including men, women, youths and children.

At the end of the day, three villagers were shot dead, scores were injured while the palace of the monarch of the kingdom and his second-in-command were razed in addition to several motor cycles.

About 100 persons were injured in a stampede when security agents fired indiscriminately into the air to scare away the protesters, a development that prompted the villagers to invade the flow station and burn down two Hilux vehicles and also, shut down the flow station.

Spokesman of the Joint Task Force, JTF, on the Niger-Delta, Lt. Col. Timothy Antigha told Saturday Vanguard that it was some youths from the community that opened fire on soldiers. He did not, nevertheless, confirm that anybody was killed by soldiers.

In a response to the fracas, Shell Media Officer in Warri, Mr. Joseph Obari said, “We have confirmed that a group of youths from Uzere community this morning (Tuesday morning) invaded SPDC’s Uzere Flow Station and shut it down. They attacked workers and burnt two security vehicles.

“The youths were reportedly demanding the signing of a GMoU agreement with the community. SPDC has phased the implementation of its highly successful GMoU model for sustainable development. Apart from two GMoUs tied to specific projects, the programme is already being implemented in three clusters in Delta State”, he stated. In a statement later issued on the state of affairs between Shell and its host communities in Uzere kingdom, president general of the community, Chief Dr. Emeakpo Owhe (JP) stated, “It is a known fact that Uzere kingdom/land has been blessed with oil and gas in it land. It is also a known fact that Shell took the advantage to exploit this natural resources on our fatherland for the past 52 years (1958 to date)”.

He said the company did not enter into any agreement with the people since then, adding, “Consequent upon the above, we wrote Shell since February 2011 to come to Uzere to discus and firm up and GMOU (Global Memorandum of Understanding) with Uzere Communities.

“In the month of October, we reminded Shell on the imperative of putting a frame work in place of the (GMOU) so that we can legally know the basics of our relationship partnering and cooperation with SPDC.

“We have often wondered why Shell has refused to come and sign GMoU with Uzere kingdom when they have written GMoU with other host communities in Rivers and Bayelsa states. We cannot understand the offense these communities have committed that made SPDC continue to evade the signing of GMoU.

“The only hospital Shell managed to build in Uzere is not functional because it refused to fund the health insurance scheme that will enable the hospital to take off and function properly. SPDC funded a similar Obio Cottage hospital in Rivers State at N24, 000000 million naira to take off, why have they refused to fund the Uzere Cottage Hospital for a proper take off?” he asked.

According to him, “The ultimatum given to Shell on the issue of GMoU with Uzere kingdom expired months ago, but up till now, Shell has not shown any interest to have a GMoU with Uzere kingdom, its host community.

“We have also written to Delta State Government on refusal for Shell for GMoU. The Uzere community has therefore decided that if SPDC still wants to operate in Uzere land, it should come and sign this agreement with Uzere before carrying out further oil activities with effect from today 29th day of November 2011”, he stated.

Listing a catalogue of failed promises allegedly made to the kingdom by Shell, he said “in 1981, the company agreed to supply pipe-borne water to Uzere, but reneged; failed to employ any of the 35 graduates the community negotiated with it in 1992 and whose names were sent on request; and turned down the community’s request for power supply from its flow station in 1995”.

He also disclosed that over the years, “There have been entreaties to Shell from the communities’ leadership for it to provide buses to the communities in Uzere kingdom but to no avail, while requests for construction of streets/roads, employment of our people and contract for the local content policy to our indigenes fell on deaf ears”.

Worried by the development, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan was said to have directed his Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Mr. Omamofe Pirah to step into the matter. Mr. Pirah convened a tripartite meeting on December 1 in Warri, attended on the part of Shell by the community interface coordinator, Mr. Edesiri Akpomudjere and liaison officer, Mr. Onoriode Ojogho, and on the community’s side by Chief Owhe, chairman, Uzere kingdom, Mr. Believe Odhugo, Odio of Uzere kingdom, Chief Lugard Eboh, Mr. Andrew Ikoroghe, secretary of oil and gas committee, Uzere, Mr. Meshach Ugeh and others.

Before the meeting was adjourned, Commissioner Pirah was categorical that SPDC should return to the drawing board and fashion out a GMoU with Uzere kingdom, as it did with other host communities in the region.

The government also expressed concern over the divergence of opinions in the community, which resulted in the razing of the palace of the traditional ruler and other issues, but the community delegation insisted that the kingdom was not factionalized as long as their demands from the oil company were concerned.

According to our source, “Another meeting was fixed for this week to appraise the response of Shell to the mandate”.

While the next meeting is still pending, the state government followed up with a visit to the kingdom on December 5 by the senior special assistant to the governor on community relations, Barrister Clement Osieta to appraise things.

At the meeting in Uzere town hall, attended by Chief Owhe, Mr. Odhugo, Chief Eboh, Mrs. Tiro Odoh-Olegtu, among others, the people gave conditions for the re-opening of operations in area.

They demanded the signing of GMOU and compensation for the families of the three persons that were shot dead by security agents, as well as other victims of last week’s clash between the community and Shell.

The president general in a speech read at the meeting said, “Let me state that given the intolerable level of frustration from Shell to our people, the brigandage exploitation of our resources and the careless disposition of Shell to our deplorable plight, we are resolved that Shell, from now onwards, should cease all operations in our land until it has entered an agreement in form of GMOU with Uzere kingdom”.

“Also, the company has to settle the present avoidable crisis it created by the unnecessary death visited on us by the military in support of Shell- the destruction and burning of over 15 motor-cycles and the burning down of the king’s palace and this includes the payment of various compensation to the victims and Uzere kingdom”.

The government team visited the hospital where the corpses of the three dead villagers were deposited, the burnt palace of the monarch and the SPDC flow station, which was invaded by the villagers to see things for themselves.