Oil and gas Host communities under the Tebidaba Cluster Development Board in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State want government to prevail on Nigeria Agip Oil Company to activate the immediate deployment of resources to execute developmental projects in the Area.
Leaders of the Six Communities that constitute the Board who made the call while submitting a protest letter to the Niger Delta Resource Center of the Environmental Rights Action in Yenagoa frowned at the multinational oil company’s failure to execute any project in the areas for about twelve years.
The Communities issued a fourteen day ultimatum to the oil major to begin mobilization of resources to commence projects in the area.
Communities that make up the Tebidaba Cluster Development Board are Olugbobiri which is the landlord community and hosts, Ikebiri 1, Ikebiri 2, Opuadino or Ikebiri 3, Olugboboro and Tebidaba.
According to them, since the inauguration of the Tebidaba Cluster Development Board by the Nigeria Agip Oil Company on September 22, 2021 in Port Harcourt for the objective of overseeing the implementation of projects to develop the six communities, a Global Memorandum of Understanding has yet to come on stream.
Chairman of the Tebidaba Cluster Development Board, Chief Seiminiyefa Saint stated that most of the previous Memoranda of Understanding with the company were not renewed almost a decade ago in most of the communities with the projects stalled since then.
Igoli Timiondi, Secretary of the Board and Ikebiriakuro Frank, the representative of Opuadiono alleged that while the company engage the divide and rule tactics in the area, the State government has also not helped matters by not developing communities with thirteen percent derivation allocations.
Head of the Niger Delta Resource Center of the Environmental Rights Action, Mr. Alagoa Morris urged Agip to urgently assuage the feelings of the communities while urging government to judiciously utilize the thirteen per cent derivation funds to benefit the host communities.
An Academic, Doctor Tari Dadiowei advised the six communities to ensure that they duly draw the attention of the relevant government agencies and officials to their plight.
Officials of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company have yet to react to the development.
