TENSION IN THE NIGER DELTA BECAUSE OF SHELL PROJECT, RIVERS/BAYELSA ON A KEG OF GUNPOWDER, GROUPS PETITION ENVIRONMENT MINISTER FOR INTERVENTION

There are strong indications that two sister states in the Niger Delta Region, South-South Nigeria, Rivers and Bayelsa are  'sitting on a keg of gunpowder' planted by the Oil major Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).

 It is common knowledge that,  Shell Nigeria Limited many years ago created the boundary problems between the people of Nembe and Kalabari in today's Rivers and Bayelsa States. That time, during their seismic  exploration and exploitations according to historical records  Shell brazenly without consultations with Oil bearing communities named oil fields and locations after other communities as in the case of Nembe in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State and Kalabari in the Akukutoru Local Government Area of Rivers State.

For that Oluasiri/ Soku Oil fields, Oil Wells and NLNG, for which Shell Nigeria Limited had showed no remorse over the wrongfull naming of Oil fields at Robertkiri in Oluasiri Nembe in the Nembe Local Government Area to Soku in Akukutoru Local Government Area of Rivers State, which had made the boundary area volatile.

It is also on record that before Shell came to the Niger Delta, the people of Nembe and Kalabari were in peace, like a people of the same family, fishing and trading together in their cities and fishing ports. 

But by that dastardly act of wrongful naming of Oil Locations and Fields  Shell planted a seed of  discord amongst the neighbors which resulted to animosity,  violent activities and wars that claimed lives and property of fellow Ijaw, fellow Nigerians in their own lands and territories.  

Shell know too well that Akukutoru Local Government of Rivers State and Nembe Local Government Area and Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa and Abua in Abua Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Impacted communities of Nembe LGA include Bassambiri, Ogbolomabiri Oluasiri, Agrisaba, Mini, Ikensi, Okoroba, and Okoroma communities. Impacted in Ogbia LGA include the people of Abureni communities share a common boundary and there is no way Shell could embark on a project from Akukutoru to Brass without passing through these boundary communities.

This to the eyes of the ordinary man is a move by Shell to cause another problem between Rivers and Bayelsa State, possibly to create another security problem and iminent crisis for Nigerians in the Niger Delta Region.

The 'Albatross' on the neck of the masses especially the people of Nembe and Akukutoru Local Government Areas of the sister states is that Shell has come out with another controversial project called:

"ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT STUDIES FOR THE JK EXPLORATION AND APPRAISAL WELLS PROJECT IN AKUKUTORU AND DEGEMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF RIVERS STATE AND BRASS LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF BAYELSA STATE DRAFT REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, ABUJA MARCH 2020."

Giving a "BRIEF PROJECT DESCRIPTION OF THE 3RD EE-SHOOT SEISMIC DATA AQUISITIOM IN OIL MINING LEASE (OML) 74 AND 77, SHALLOW OFFSHORE IN NIGER DELTA"

On the location of the project, Shell has this to say:

"...The planned surface coverage area for this seismic survey is about 2,218 square kilometres and span from Akukutoru LGA in Rivers State to Brass LGA in Bayelsa State and will cover HA, HB, HD, ABC, BLKG and JK fields."

Under "PROJECT ACTIVITIES AND DESCRIPTION"  Shell said:

"... A detailed site development program shall be prepared during this stage, taking into consideration the type of fascilities, structures and drilling fluids most suited for the project. Consultations and meetings with stakeholders (regulatory bodies, government  agencies and contractors, coastal communities, etc) are prominent features of this phase."

From this analysis, it is clear that Shell had since conducted or carried out Impact Assessment, met with stakeholders and submitted Report to the Federal Ministry of Environment without involving the Nembe Local Government Area that is between the Akukutoru and Brass Local Government Areas of Rivers and Bayelsa States.

In a protest letter addressed to the Honorable Minister of Environment.dated.12-06-2020  by a body called:

 "SWAMP AREA OIL & GAS PRODUCING COMMUNITIES ASSOCIATION, BAYELSA STATE, NIGERIA", led by Deputy Chief I.G . Smith-Ngo and H.H Douglas Onungu wrote:

Osagie Okunbor Shell MD

"PROTEST AGAINST FEDERAL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT FOR NON-DISPLAY OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) ON THE JK EXPLORATION AND APPRAISAL WELLS PROJECT IN RIVERS AND BAYELSA DRAFT REPORT"

"With profound regard, we the swamp Area and Gas producing communities Association, Bayelsa State, Nigeria ... collaboration with Bayelsa State East Senatorial District Environmental Anti-degradation management Committee, express our dislike about the non-display of the Environmental impact Assessment studies for the JK exploration and appraisal Wells project in Akukutoru Areas of Rivers State and Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. We make demands that you use your good offices to send copies of the documents and extend the display period to more 21 days because the documents are nowhere to be found. The availability of the booklets shall enable the affected communities make comments.

, we make this solemn appeal to come to our aid the provision of the said booklets and extension of the display period."

When a copy of the booklets was received by the State Ministry of Environment from the Federal Ministry of Environment for display, it was discovered that Shell did not include Nembe Local

Government Area as impacted  according to H.H Douglas who raised alarm after going through the report, in an interview with Golden Pen Newspaper in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State Capital, hear him:

" These are the things Shell has been doing over the years to create unnecessary tensions and wars in the Niger Delta, this attitude of  introducing parochial business ideas, sidelining communities and creating divide and rule tactics that were crisis prone to neighbors ."

He called on the Honorable Minister for Environment to call Shell to order for the interest of peace, to involve the Nembe Local Government Area in the project and also to carry out Impact Assessment in the Local Government Area and every other activities done at Akukutoru and Brass Local Government Areas in lieu of the project.

H.H Onungu who expressed concern over the development noted that border communities between Akukutoru and Nembe are now sleeping with one eye open for fear of the unknown.

He used the medium to also call on the Oil Minister, Chief Timipre Sylva to wade in, in order to nip in the bud the looming danger between the two sister communities, Nembe and Kalabari in particular/Rivers and Bayelsa in general.

When our medium visited the State Ministry of Environment, the Permanent Secretary and the H.O.D said the Ministry had received protests from many quarters and petitions against the non exclusion of Nembe in the Impact Assessment Report.

Efforts to reach the Chairman of Nembe Local Government Council, Hon. Alalibo West to comment on the development was unsuccessful unto press time.

Golden Pen reliably gathered that the Nembe Local Government Council had forwarded a petion to the appropriate quarters to correct the anomalies associated to the project.