Bonny Youths Threaten SPDC For Flouting Supreme Court Order

APC presidential candidate, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari voting during the Presidential and National Assembly elections at Sarkin-Yara Ward in Daura, Katsina State Saturday

The  Bonny Youth Federation has called on the management of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) to respect the Supreme Court decision on the lease agreement it entered into with the community in 1958.
The leader of the Bonny Youth Federation, Barrister Simeon Wilcox, who said this at a news conference in Port Harcourt, also threatened to down tools, if the Bonny ring road allegedly awarded by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to JAFAC Investment Nigeria Limited was not completed.
Wilcox said that Shell had entered into a lease agreement with the Bonny kingdom in 1958 but the agreement was breached in May 1999 when Shell allegedly procured a certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O) from the Rivers State Government.
“This matter was referred to the Rivers State High Court, which gave jjudegement of forfeiture of the property of Shell.
‘On Shell’s plea, the court of Appeal and subsequently the Supreme Court upheld the judgement of the High Court, and advised Shell on settlement”.
The Youth president, who regretted that SPDC had shown a strong unwillingness to settle with the community, alleged that the company had gone a step further by striking a deal with certain individuals in order to sow discord in the community.
Meanwhile, the Bonny Youth Federation has threaten to down tools, if the Bonny rig road project awarded 20 years ago was not completed.
The youth body, at a press conference in Port Harcourt said every efforts made by the Amanyanabo and his council of chiefs towards getting the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to hold the  contractor- JAFAC Investment Nigeria Limited accountable for the project had proved abortive.
The youth leader, Barrister Simeon Wilcox regretted the  constant disregard for Bonny inspite of its enormous economic benefits to the company.
‘We called this press conference in order to high light some of the incidences that have brought the gross neglect and blatant disregard for the community to the  fore’, he said.
Efforts to reach the  managements of the two companies for comment proved abortive.