By Chinonso Alozie, Owerri

Oil-producing communities in Oguta Local Government Area of Imo State, have called for an end to their sufferings.

Okorocha

Part of their griefs as explained to South-East Voice, in Owerri, was lack of government attention to the issue of bad roads in their area.

They also claimed that the under-funding of the  Imo State Oil-Producing Area Development Commission ,ISOPADEC, has contributed to the hardships which they are currently facing.  Other areas were lack of electricity as well as motorable roads in the areas.

They added that oil companies operating in their communities should stop gas flaring and establish a gas plant to boost electricity in their communities.

It will be recalled that the Imo State Government had cancelled the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU,   signed between the host communities and the oil companies operating in their areas.

As a result of this development, they were said to be having serious challenges relating with oil companies in terms of what the oil companies should do for communities.

Some of the groups that expressed their pains were Oguta Vanguard, Oguta Amaeshi Development Forum, O.A.D.F., Oil Core landlords of Oguta, heads of 27 villages of Oguta, (Nde Okpara),   Oguta Community Development Union, OCDU, Oguta Progressive Movement, OPM,  Ogene of Oguta (Man) and Ogene of Oguta (Woman).

“In view of disdainful and regrettable condition of electricity supply to our community, we resolved as follows;

“That a letter should be written to Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, and Shell Nigeria Exploration Company, giving them 14 days notice to commence the process of supplying of electricity to Oguta community.

“Or the people will embark on a peaceful protest to NAOC, Arik gas plant/flow station and SENEC Orodogwum gas plant/flow station.

“That the NAOC and SENEC must stop this gas flaring in Oguta community and convert the gas to power in line with Federal Government’s statutory policy on gas flaring which mandates all oil and gas companies to collaborate with the host communities in the process.

“That the MoU, signed with NAOC, with Oguta oil community executed by faceless companies must be examined. The EIA made public in view of the poor road and drainage construction going on in Oguta community.

“The MoU and GMOU must not be signed without a town hall stakeholders’ meeting such as this where inputs from the community  must be taken into consideration.

“That all heads (Nde Okpara) of the 27 villages in Oguta community must mobilise support for their various villages for this project.

“That Shell Nigeria Exploration Company, must sign MoU with Oguta community to cushion the effects of their exploration/production activities since they have never signed the MoU, and their host community.”

Speaking to South-East Voice, one of the leaders in the affected communities, Mr. Chris Okororie, said: “It started getting worse when this administration took over in 2011.

“Before this present administration, it was fine because it was the former Governor of Imo State, Chief Achike Udenwa, who started the process.

“He was funding the Imo State Oil-Producing Communities, ISOPADEC, and the ISOPADEC was paying the electricity bill of the communities.

“Ohakim took over, it was the same thing and the Ohakim administration followed the same process.

“But since this administration came into power in 2011, they have not been funding ISOPADEC, adequately.

“If you  recall, during our protest, the Executive Director of Enugu Electricity Distribution Company, EEDC, Engr. Dikaba, was interviewed and the government was represented by the Deputy Chief of Staff,   Mr. Kingsley Uju, both of them were interviewed.

“Uju claimed that the government has been paying EEDC, and EEDC claimed that the government has not been paying them and EEDC, said that if the government was paying them, they would have been paying for the supply of electricity to Oguta Local government.

“The question is: who is saying the truth? Who is paying and who is rejecting the money?”

When South-East Voice asked if ISOPADEC has ever protested over shortage of funds, he said: “They have never. You know, this is a government institution.

“What we are saying invariably is that our community does not need the EEDC again since we have an alternative.”

On what he thinks should be the alternative, he said: “The alternative should be to get the gas supply companies from Oguta to use that gas they are flaring and convert it to gas turbine and give us electricity.

“This is applicable to other oil communities in the other Niger-Delta communities.

“We are isolated. We have just dispatched a letter to them. We have what we call memorandum of understanding with the oil companies.

“When this MoU started in the late 80s, our fellow oil communities in Rivers and Delta states, had requested for a gas turbine for electricity supply.

“Our own leader here requested for roads and drainages; they gave to us what we requested for. So subsequent MoUs have not integrated this demand into the agreement.

“Now, our people are saying that no further memorandum of understanding will be signed with this people, unless this gas plant or gas turbine is integrated into it.”

On his view concerning the cancellation of the MoU between the oil companies and oil communities and that government would now be in charge, he said: “We are aware of that and it is an aberration. It is not government’s responsibility. It is the responsibility of the host communities and the oil companies.

“If you recall, some selected All Progressives Congress, APC, stakeholders visited the governor, and on the issue of power outage, he said he was going to set up a committee and that the problem will soon end.

“That is political gimmick. What we are saying is that the MoU signed between the oil companies and the host communities is directly between them.

“It is like that in other Niger-Delta states and our own will not be different. Our own should not be an isolated case.”

Okororie recalled that they have “sent series of letters to the oil companies and they have been dodging. We have invited them for an interface and they have refused to come.

“So, we have given them 14 days notice and if they fail to do what they are expected to do, we will go on protest.”