... Sources say SPDC is working with laid down
structure, can’t sabotage its own re-entry plan
 |
Kula chiefs suround the spokesman, Fiala
Okoye-Davies 2nd from left
|
By Ignatius Chukwu
Nigeria may have lost N1.4 trillion in the Kula
oilfield near the Atlantic Ocean in Rivers State as the controversy-riddled Oil
Mining Lease 25 is brewing with fresh disquiet that may lead to another round
of crisis.
A group in Kula, Akuku-Toru local council area of
Rivers State, has already accused Shell of refusing to implement laid down
re-entry programmes and engage with the right community structure.
Some splinter community sources however denied such
charges on behalf of Shell, saying the oil major was keen to re-enter the oil
field and cannot afford to sabotage its own desired re-entry processes.
A group of chiefs who said they were speaking on behalf
of Kula Kingdom and the OML-25 communities led by a chief and engineer, Fiala
Okoye-Davies, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that Shell chose to relate with the
wrong people and refused to carry out specifically laid down programmes that
were stated by the stakeholders to make re-entry smooth.
The team that addressed the press included His Royal
Highness, K.N Sukubo; His Highness, Ibinbo Daniel Kiliya; a chief, Ibiosiya
Isaiah Nath Sukubo; and a prince and lawyer, Opunabo Bourdilon Ekine, who
called themselves as the ‘stakeholders leadership’.
By first year of the
occupation of the platform by Kula women, Nigeria was said to
lose N700Bn in the Kula field. Kula field is said to be host to 200
oil wells of about 150bpd.
OML 25 is located 50 kilometres southwest of Port
Harcourt in the onshore eastern delta and is part of the NNPC/Shell Joint
Venture (JV). The block is located on the coastal mangrove swamp and extends
slightly offshore. It is intersected by the Santa Barbara and San Bartholomeo
rivers, which are large deltaic tidal channels that enter the Gulf of
Guinea.
Shell had attempted to sell the oilfield for $500m to
Crestar but this was stopped by Federal High Court in Lagos. Belemaoil (with
community backing) later tried to acquire it from Shell but this too was
stalled until a truce was called in September 2019 where Belemaoil was awarded
operational rights while Shell retained ownership.
Now, the Kula chiefs told newsmen that the intention of
Shell to deal with the wrong persons became obvious in a circular for meeting
soon after the signing of peace agreement to be held at the office of the secretary
to the Rivers State Government on October 24, 2019. The group said they
strongly disassociated the community from such a meeting.
They said: “We are also aware that the trio of the
NNPC, SPDC, and BPL (Belemaoil) have had several meetings in a bid to resolve
the issues that led to the face-off between SPDC and the host communities. It
is interesting that while our position regarding our confidence in the FG to
resolve the issues remains sacrosanct, we are minded to warn against various
tactics and antics of the SPDC to cause confusion and crisis again in our
peaceful Kula kingdom.”
The chiefs called to the FG and the security agencies
to prevail on Shell to desist from whatever alliance it has had with some
persons they described as renegades of Kula kingdom. They appealed to the FG to
make Shell conclude the discussion with the FG and Belemaoil on behalf of the
communities for re-entry of OML 25.
They said the public call became expedient in the
alleged wake of several antics being deployed by the SPDC in a bid to delay and
frustrate the process of re-opening of facility, all in their alleged bid to
raise and arm their own counter renegade groups.
Asked to name specifically what Shell did wrong, the
spokesman said the oil major was refusing to execute those named programmes
agreed on as re-entry projects, and also chose to engage with the wrong group.
Also asked if it is not the NNPC that would drive the
re-entry process on behalf of the Federal Government, the spokesman said it was
Shell and the NNPC. He however called on all the stakeholders to persuade Shell
to return to the re-entry plans.
Shell spokesmen declined comment but a source in Kula
said SPDC was dealing with the structure of engagement set up by the
stakeholders which is also being used by the FG and NNPC to implement the
re-entry programmes.
The source said Shell and Nigeria have so much and
wondered how same Shell would be deliberately delaying the re-entry plans.
A source in government urged the community to unite and
engage the IOCs and FG with one voice.
No comments:
Post a Comment