Community Threatens Showdown Over MoU Non-Implementation

Oil operations in
Ogbogu community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State may hit the brick wall, if the management of Total E&P Nigeria Limited refuses to retrace its steps as demanded by the community.
In a statement signed by four community representatives, Chief Ahaoda Thomas, HRH Eze Ajie and two others which was made available to newsmen last Friday in Port Harcourt, they affirmed that Total E&P Nig. Limited was in close touch with a self-styled group known as Ogbogu community Technical Committee.
They also accused the purported group of diverting the community’s fortunes to their private pockets.
The statement pointed out that the oil company, failed to comply with parts of its Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) it entered with them some time ago.
It blamed the underdevelopment in the area on the committee’s attitude of accepting monetary benefits from the company which according to them, was against their resolutions.
The statement informed that the Egi community (Obagi) has over 100 crude oil and gas well-heads operated by Total E&P Nig Ltd/NNPC Joint Venture for about 50 years now.
The community representatives, further revealed how the Technical Committee, was already in jubilant mood in a concluded plans to talk the management of Total E&P into releasing N100 million for the building of what they described as pseudo project.
They stressed that the company, needed to respect the wish and aspirations of the host landlords in order to avoid breakdown of law and order.
Furthermore, they said that the community has never nominated, endorsed, or authorised a warrant letter to any Technical Committee on how to manage “envelope package project money.” As rumoured in some quarters.
Earlier, it has concluded to lead a high power delegation to the company to present its generally accepted and mutually agreed development-oriented programmes to the oil company soonest.