Oron Seeks Recognition As Oil Bearing Community

The Oron Union in Akwa Ibom, has restated its commitment to ensure that the Oron  in the state are recognised as oil producing areas.

The President-General of the union, Chief Okon Okon, disclosed this in an interview with The Tide  in Mbo, a community near Oron in Akwa Ibom State.

Okon said it was said that Oron communities spread across five local government areas were excluded from enjoying the benefits accruable to oil communities in spite of the oil exploration activities in the area.

“God has endowed Oron nation with this mineral, but we have nothing to show for it.

“It is very painful; somebody will just come, exploit you, go back and leave you poorer than before.  In those days those who were fishing were using small boats and small nets to fish.

“It is not so now, because of the activities of oil exploration the fishes now go into deeper water, you now need bigger boats, you need engine boats to be able to get anything reasonable.

“This is because of oil exploration and the people must be compensated for it”, Okon Lamented.

Okon said that in the 1970’s, prior to oil exploration in the area, fishermen used canoes to fish in the estuaries, and expressed regret that today, fishing had become almost impossible because of the oil exploration and production activities there.

“Fishes have migrated to the deeper waters and you now need bigger boats fitted with higher capacity engines to access those places to make a reasonable catch”.

He, therefore, stated that there was the need for the people of the area to be compensated

According to him, the union is making a case for reparations to be paid by the oil firms operating within Oron land and territorial waters and that it has taken the matter to the National Assembly.

Okon described as ridiculous, the claim by Mobil that it was waiting for government’s consent before it could recognise Oron communities as oil producing area.

“The reasons advanced by Mobil management for neglecting Oron is rhetoric nonsense, how can a company that knows where it exploits oil say that it wants the government to tell it when it is operating.

“It is ridiculous and we have resolved to reverse the injustice by lawful means. As we speak, the matter is before the National Assembly and they conducted a public hearing on it recently.

“We are looking at all options, but we shall remain within the limits of the law, that is our position as a people”, he stressed.

It would be recalled that the Akwa Ibom State Government last year mediated between Mobil and oil bearing communities and inaugurated a committee to draft a Memorandum of Understanding between the company and its hosts.

The Tide gathered that the MoU committee is yet to conclude its assignment