WARRI –  OVER 10 host communities in Diebiri and Gbaramatu kingdoms, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State are at loggerheads with the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, Nigeria Limited and Nigeria Gas Company, NGC, a subsidiary of NNPC, over Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, in respect of new oil blocs acquired from the company by an oil consortium and failure of the latter to electrify the communities two years after wiring was completed.
 
Diebiri kingdom, in a protest letter, addressed to the managing director of SPDC, signed by its chairman, Hon. Samuel Ako, threatened to impede the smooth operations of the company at its Batan flow station and other oil fields in its locality if a proper agreement/ Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, was not reached with host communities in respect of the fresh acquisition by the consortium, represented by Nest Oil.
 
An SPDC official who spoke to Vanguard on condition of anonymity said the divestment policy was that of the Federal Government and directed further inquiry to Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, which is in-charge of the exercise.
 
On their part, the forum of Gbaramautu federated communities,  comprising Inikorogha, Azama, Opude, Opuedebubor and Okpele-Ama in a statement by its new chairman, Comrade Nanakumo Ebikeme, weekend, gave the NGC a 21-day ultimatum to redress the imbalance or the company’s 25-kilometer pipeline in the area would be excavated from their land.
 
Concerning the acquisition, Diebiri kingdom argued that Nest Oil purchased different OLMs from SPDC in the western swamps, but as owners/occupiers of the lands where OLM42 is situated, the host communities were not involved in the transaction before the sales.
 
In the words of the chairman, “However, as original owners that leased the lands to SPDC where these assets are located, our non  involvement and notification is unjustifiable. We want to unequivocally state that this act of SPDC without taking into cognizance or due diligence of the host communities lease agreement will meet brick wall. SPDC will recall that only recently, upon the expiration of the lease agreement entered into with the host communities, monies were paid”.
 
Hon Ako added, “We, as host communities are not against companies forming consortium to acquire oil blocs for growth in line with Nigeria Local Content Act. This good aim of SPDC, which is part of her plan and strategy to divest and grow indigenous oil companies, is welcomed, but, the question is that what is the interest of the host communities, the owners/occupiers of these lands where these facilities are located, is it not to put the same old bottle in a new wine?”