• Delta community protests six-month oil spill, demands urgent action

The Host Communities of Nigeria (HOSCON) Traditional Rulers and Elders Advisory Council has lamented the persistent disconnect between the Niger Delta’s enormous contribution to Nigeria’s economy and the level of development and opportunities available to its people.

The council, chaired by the Ovie of the Great Oil and Gas Rich Kingdom of Idjerhe, His Royal Majesty King Obukowho Monday A. Whiskey, Udurhie I, said: “We cannot consistently be laying the golden egg, and yet we cannot eat from it,” highlighting the need for host communities to receive greater developmental benefits from the resources extracted from their environment.”

In a statement signed by King Whiskey and made available to The Guardian in Asaba, the traditional rulers maintained that a united Niger Delta would be better positioned to demand accountability, attract development and secure more people-oriented programmes from both government and private-sector operators.

According to him, the Amnesty Programme could achieve greater results if all critical stakeholders in the Niger Delta closed ranks and worked together to advance the region.

He, however, cautioned stakeholders who had remained indifferent to the programme, stressing that collective support and constructive engagement were essential to achieving sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

The traditional rulers and elders noted that while individuals and groups were entitled to hold divergent opinions, personal interests should not supersede the collective aspirations of the Niger Delta people.

According to the council, unity among stakeholders remains critical to ensuring that the region derives meaningful benefits from its enormous oil and gas resources.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand,” stressing that the people of the Niger Delta must put aside individual differences and work together to promote peace, development and improved opportunities for the region’s people.

He expressed strong support for the ongoing reforms and transformation under the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), urging Niger Delta stakeholders to unite and work towards sustaining the gains of the intervention.

RELATEDLY, residents of Odidi, an oil-bearing community in Warri South-West Local Council Area of Delta State, have protested a crude oil spill which they said had persisted for six months, calling for urgent intervention by the operating company and relevant government agencies.

The protesters alleged that the prolonged spill had destroyed aquatic life, contaminated waterways and farmlands, and disrupted fishing and other sources of livelihood in the community.

They also expressed fears that the continued presence of crude oil in the area could trigger a fire outbreak, with potentially serious consequences for life and property.

The community, which hosts oil operations within OML 42, staged a peaceful protest at the company’s operational facility last Friday.