Surveyor-General convenes meeting to resolve Rivers Oil crisis

The Surveyor-General of the Federation, Abduganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin has called for a meeting following the petition received from Rumuewhor Community, Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State over alleged neglect and damage by Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited.

The meeting involved the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Sterling Oil and Rumuewhor Community.

As this meeting was a high-level strategic fact finding which the Surveyor-General said it reflects the President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed commitment to ensuring lasting peace between Oil companies and their host of communities.

In his opening remarks, Adebomehin asked that, “All the correspondents and letters should be compiled together, what anyone has written to anyone, and it will be handed over to our legal unit who will in turn send it to ONSA, after which the ONSA will have the right to ask questions on some issues.

The Surveyor-General added that, “We’ve to look at the position of the law, I’m very sure when all the facts are on ground the Sterling Oil Exploration and the Energy Production Company Limited, would be invited, ours is purely on fact finding.”

The OSGF Assistant Legal Adviser, Mrs Ademola Abiola said, “The Petroleum Industry ACT mandates Oil companies to carry out some responsibilities, there are clearly define role under the PIA act and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) ought to monitor the activities of the settlers.
Adding that, “the government has to monitor so that he right of indigene is protected, in the response of stallion oil they are yet to indicate that they have complied with all the provisions, though we cannot adjudge them at this point to be guilty”.

The ONSA Director of Energy Security submission said, “We need information to know who signed for what, how did they start their operation, we need NUPRC as a regulatory body to tell us about some certain issues on the community development fund.

He said, “If there is division in the community NUPRC should be able to tell us, until we have information at ONSA, the first thing is that we need all the information because of the attachment they are mentioning here we need all, so as to give us the opportunity to know who to ask questions and all of that.
“It is a simple matter we’ve regulatory body, we have those who are supposed to be the leader of the community and those who are to interface with operator. When we get information, this company can then be invited after ONSA has done all their investigation if the right of the community is violated”.

Ezehow Prophet Azundah who spoke on behalf of the community said “The Oil company has been operating for three years. They have found oil in large commercial quantities and gas.

“Also, the injustice has been suffered as the Local Content Act has not been followed regarding the employment of indigenes of the land. The individual that was employed does not even earn more than#80,000-#100,000 thereabout.“

He said “recently, one of the company’s trucks destroyed about nine electricity poles in the community and the CDC that intervened were dealt with using soldiers to intimidate us.” Adding that they have written letters to the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff regarding how the military is being used to maltreat them.