Community Demands N200m Compensation …May Shut Total’s Facility

The Umu Aje Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of  Rivers State may settle for nothing less than N200 million compensation from Total E & P Nigeria Limited, the operators of Oml 58 site at Ogbogu following the inferno that erupted in the area last Monday.

A statement from the community’s Head, contact man, Mr Pius Okirie and made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt last Friday, said the inferno caused an earth tremor which forced windows and doors open.

He accussed Total of breaching an earlier Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) it signed with the community sometime ago, stressing that the incident was as a result of carelessness on the company’s part.

It was not clear whether the community may head to count and  seek redress or not but feelers clearly indicate the possibility of such  inorder to avoid being short-changed in the process.

The statement further alleged that soldiers attached to the oil firm brutalised about 1500 allegedly Youths from the area who protested against the incident.

One of the youths, the statement added, is now lying critical in a close by hospital in the area due to the level of injuries he sustained during the solider brutality.

When contacted on phone, the youth president, comrade Samuel Andrew, said they may be forced to shut down Total’s Facilities and force their workers out tomorrow the firm should fail to meet their demands.

He also directed the company to provide them with food and potable water throughout the trial period, wondering why his people should continue to suffer lack in the midst of plenty.

However, he requested for the presence of environmentalists in the area to assess the extent of damage.