By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South and Chancel Sunday

FOR  48 hours between last Friday and Sunday, the people of Tuomo, a federated riverine community in Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, took over the Field Station of   the Italian oil giant, Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC, in the community, citing the firm’s alleged refusal to build a flow station in the area.

Astonishingly, traditional ruler of the community, Chief Gimba Tamani led the siege and with elders, women and youths of the town, they occupied the station, not only sleeping, cooking and eating their meals there, but also conducting their Sunday worship inside the facility.

Sources in the community, who spoke to Saturday Vanguard, said the people were tired of the antics of the oil form, which reportedly promised to build a flow station in the town, but purportedly abandoned the project over the years, while pumping oil from the community to Ogbonibiri Flow Station in Bayelsa state.

“NAOC officials hardly want to negotiate with their host communities, especially those outside the immediate catchment of their Port-Harcourt office in Rivers state. That is the strategy it had been using to avoid the Tuomo flow station project for a long time, but the people decided that enough is enough when they embarked on the make or mar demonstration,” a community leader hinted.

The youth leader, Gabriel Bekesuoyeibo initiated the revolution when they stormed the company’s field station in the community over supposed ill-treatment for many years, which propelled the entire community to besiege the station.

The monarch, Chief Tamani and his cabinet, Community Development Committee, CDC chair, Hon. Timi Andaye and his executive members, elders and women joined.

Delta, Bayelsa communities land dispute resolved(Opens in a new browser tab)

The protesters, who occupied the company for three days first locked its wellhead from where it pipes crude oil to Ogboinbiri flow station, Bayelsa state with padlocks and chains.

Knowing that NAOC scarcely bow to such agitation by host communities, the community rolled out conditions among which were that they would not leave the station except Agip dispatched officials to the town for proper negotiation.

Chief Tamani, who insisted that the company had deceived the community for so long with noting to show in the last 40 years, stated, “This is a peaceful protest against Agip over neglect for the past forty years; we are here because we have been taken for granted by Agip.”

“We have come to stay at Agip here and we will not leave until Agip will come down personally to Tuomo community for negotiation. They told that this is gas field, but now we have discovered that it is oil field and no single benefit has accrued to this community.

“We want Agip to commence the long-awaited flow station project; we want jobs for our youths; we want internal roads, potable water and a Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU), which Agip has failed to fulfill”, he stated.

Acting on intelligence that the passive people of Tuomo were dead serious and not ready to quit unless the firm took decisive action, the management of Agip sent a delegation to the community the next day, Saturday, for negotiation.

Elders of the community, who also  participated  the protest, vowed that they would sleep at the site and would not go back to their houses until Agip was ready to address them.

Speaking for the elders, Chief Akpola Ekperi stated they were not ready to go to either Port-Harcourt or any other place for negotiation, noting, “Agip must come to us here.”

Agip sends first delegation

A top official, Mr Owuga, who led the delegation, said the company mandated the team to dialogue with the community on the way forward and for amicable settlement of the issues between the company and Agip.

He absolved the community of blame in the events that led to their protest.

Presenting the community’s position, the traditional ruler, Chief Tamani said Agip should kickoff the proposed flow station project in the town. He also demanded that the company enter into a GMoU with the community, which it had failed to do since its operation in the community.

He recalled that the management did not respond to appeals and letters previously sent to its head office in Port-Harcourt the community, asking for what the people expended on daily basis during the protest.

Mr Owuga, however, said the delegation noted all the demands of the community and would present them before the company’s executive in Port-Harcourt.

The people ignored the company’s plea to unlock the wellhead, maintaining the signing of all agreements before heeding the entreaty.

Not even the intervention of the Commander, 222 Battalion, Bomadi Division, could save the situation that Friday.

Villagers cook, sleep and hold Sunday service 

On Sunday, the second day of the siege, the protesters organized a Church service in the morning hours with processions, dancing, singing and preaching of the word of God.

Community chair, Hon Andaye, speaking with Saturday Vanguard, said that it became imperative to hold a Sunday service at the station because most community folk had decided to stay back at the station to press home their demands.

“We cook, eat and sleep here day and night, according to our vow. If Agip think they can deceive us to leave this place, this time around, they will wait in vain.

“We have decided to thank and glorify God here being Sunday morning for the strength given us to embark on this task,” he said.

Second delegation/unlocking of wellhead

Agip, again, sent a second delegation on Sunday morning to continue negotiation. The state government sent a team led by the Burutu council chair, Hon. Godknows Angele.

At the end of a closed-door meeting, both parties miraculously agreed to move to Port-Harcourt, Rivers state to finalize issues, especially the flow station and the GMoU undertakings.

A source, who was part of the meeting, disclosed that the community also yielded to the plea to unlock the wellhead before their departure to Port-Harcourt.

He revealed, “We discussed and agreed that we will unlock the wellhead when Hon. Godknows Angele stood out to volunteer for the company.”

“We had a verbal agreement that if Agip at the end of negotiations refused to attend to our demands we will carry out a more serious action which both parties agreed”, he added

My vow for Agip, Hon Angele, Burutu LG chair

Responding, the council boss, Hon. Angele, confirmed that he actually vouched for the company on the issue of unlocking the wellhead with the belief that Agip would do the right thing.

“Yes, I vouched for Agip as chairman of Burutu local government council that the   people unlock the wellhead believing the company would do the needful for peace to reign in the council area,” he said.

As at the time of filing this report, the villagers had unlocked the wellhead and vacated the premises, leaving the men of the 222 Battalion, who are the regular security guarding the facility.

What came to light at Port Harcourt

The community leaders moved to Port-Harcourt on Tuesday.   Disclosing outcome of the meeting in Port-Harcourt, chair of Ijaw Youth Council, IYC,   Tuomo Clan, Comrade Osuwo Port-Harcourt, said,   “Agip has agreed to sign GMoU with us and we have already presented our own GMoU to them and they promised to cross-check it for possible corrections.”

“They also promised to delegate officials to Tuomo community, Monday, next week to ask the community leadership to provide a land to implement some items in the document presented to them,” he disclosed.