…Chevron must stop divide-and-rule game or…—Community leaders

By Chancel Bomadi Sunday

BURUTU—Kokodiagbene, a host community to the Otunana (Utulala) oil field in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, has issued a warning to Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, to cease its divide-and-rule tactics by allegedly colluding with the Itsekiri ethnic group to register the above oil field as Abiteye, Makaraba and Utonana, AMU-HCDT, under the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA, at the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, for Itsekiri benefitting communities.

In a protest letter by the community’s leadership, yesterday, by Ark Selegha and Gabriel Ukuli, the chairman and general secretary, respectively, and addressed to the General Manager, PGPA Lagos, the Warri Area Manager, and the Operations Manager at Escravos, it stated that Kokodiagbene owns the said oil field, which is located less than five kilometres from the community.

The letter read: “The people of the oil-rich Kokodiagbene Community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, write a strongly-worded protest petition to reject the ongoing registration of the Otunana (Utulala) field by the Itsekiri ethnic group.

“This registration was facilitated by Chevron Nigeria Limited at CAC, under the PIA, as Abiteye, Makaraba, and Utonana, AMU-HCDT, for Itsekiri benefiting communities.

“It will interest CNL’s management and the general public to know that Kokodiagbene community is the rightful owner of Utulala, now being referred to as the Otunana flowstation, situated in the community less than 5km from the main town.”

The community also alleged that the fraudulent registration of the AMU-HCDT by Chevron was a ploy by some Itsekiri leaders to falsely solidify their claim on the field and warned that if Chevron failed to halt the registration process, it would lead to a total shutdown of the flowstation permanently.

It said: “It is imperative to send this warning and caution against any purported attempt by CNL, in connivance with some top Itsekiri management staff, to register the flowstation in an attempt to support their fraudulent fictitious claim.

“This serves as a final warning to CNL to desist from its old strategy of adopting divide-and-rule tactics by instigating ethnic conflict to enable them to employ and deploy their kinsmen from outside their area of operations.

“We, therefore, ask that Chevron immediately ceases any further registration process concerning the Otunana (Utulala) field. As the saying goes, ‘A stitch in time saves nine,” the community warned.