By Daniel Abia

PORT HARCOURT – HOST communities of an oil firm, Oriental Energy Resources Limited (OERL), operator of OML 115 and OML 67, also known as Ebok and Okwok Fields” in Effiat and Mbo local government areas, Akwa Ibom State, have threatened to lay siege to the oil company.

The youths of the host communities, under the aegies of the Obolo Youth Coalition (OYC), gave the oil conglomerate a 21-day ultimatum to abide by the policies and guidelines of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board, NCDMB. They threatened to occupy all Oriental Energy Resources Limited’s facilities in the OMLs if, after 21 days, the company refuses to implement the agreement willingly entered into with the host communities in Eket last year.

Company causing us untold hardship —Essang, youth president Addressing journalists in Port Harcourt, the youth body alleged that the oil firm declined to comply with the guidelines, saying that the neglect has caused untold hardship to the people, forcing youths to look for alternative means of survival. The President-General of Obolo Youth Coalition worldwide, Engineer Emmanuel Essang, who addressed the journalists in Port Harcourt, capital of Rivers State, said the company’s refusal caused untold hardship to the people, especially the youths. Though he appreciated the company’s commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility, CSR in the area, Essang said OERL should reserve all unskilled job roles for indigenes of the host communities where its project is domiciled.

Demands “They should exclusively reserve 10 per cent of skilled roles for indigenes of the host communities where the project is domiciled. If the host community does not have qualified personnel to fill the slot, the 10 per cent shall be converted to additional relevant skills training for the community or communities.”

Essang recalled that the company and youths of the host communities agreed in 2023 and 2024 at the NCDMB office at Eket in the state, where the firm allegedly agreed to engage the operations and supply chain department to utilise any available opportunity in this regard.

The youth leader regretted that the company had not complied with the agreement, saying its action inflicted hardship on the youths. He urged President Bola Tinubu to, “as a matter of urgency, order Oriental Energy to comply with the agreement reached in 2023/2024 and the guidelines of the NCDMB without further delay.” “Oriental Energy should compel their vendors to have an immediate meeting with the host communities in compliance with the NOGICD Act.

“We give the company a 21-day ultimatum from today to have an immediate interface with the host communities to strengthen our modalities to meet the demands of the host communities.” The group warned that failure to comply with their demands within the 21-day window would result in the youths occupying the company’s facilities, which could disrupt its operations as long as it lasts.

Cunningly evading compliance —Community leader A chief of the community, who preferred anonymity, said: “We have engaged OERL on the issue of non-compliance, but they kept coming up with their CSR programs, which have nothing to do with compliance with the NCDMB Act. “We have engaged with them on three occasions in the NCDMB office in Eket, and they gave them directives to comply with the law, which they refused. “Now, the youths have decided to engage different organisations to come to their aid. Oriental Energy Resources Limited is the cause of what you are seeing, and if anything happens, they should be held responsible,” he said.

He claimed that since its inception, Oriental Energy Resources “has never offered a single contract to the host communities. How do they expect the people to survive when you are making billions from their God-given resources? “We have lived with this company for nearly 20 years without issues. The youths are now angry; they need jobs and empowerment. Give them contracts for peace to reign in Effiat/Mbo, which is all they want.”