Pipeline Surveillance Contract: Rivers Community shutdown oil production over exclusion

.Protest, demand payment of N19.2bn for 8 months

Members of oil-producing communities, under the umbrella of Association of Niger Delta Upland Communities have shutdown activities of International Oil Companies, (IOCs), operating in Rumuekpe community, Emohua local government area of Rivers State.

The group stated that their action was borne following the exclusion in the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract awarded to ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemopolo, aka Tompolo.

On Thursday morning, over one hundred indigenes of Rumuekpe community including youths, men, women and the elderly, staged a peaceful protest as they demanded payment of N19.2billion meant for eight months salary arears of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) Surveillance in the area.

Speaking, President of the Association of Isa Mohammed, decried the hijack of the surveillance contract in the area, alleging that some people from the riverine part of the state is trying to shortchange them.

Mohammed demanded that the N19.2 Billion wrongfully diverted by PINL to certain individuals in the riverine communities, be returned to the upland communities.

He also demanded the release of the original copies of documents for the oil surveillance contract for the TNP oil pipeline to the upland communities by the Nigera National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL).

He stressed that they will keep fighting for the right of the upland communities until their demands are met saying: “We need equal right from Federal Government as we store over 700,000 barrels of crude oil per day in Rumuekpe Manifold.”

He, however, solicited for recognition of Niger Delta Upland Communities by the Federal, State, Local Government and oil companies operating within the upland communities.

Some indigenes of Rumuekpe community while addressing the press decried neglect of the community by government and Oil companies operating in the area.

They accused the IOCs of shying away from their social responsibilities.

“We have four oil companies operating in Rumuekpe community namely; NDPR, SPDC, NAOC (Agip) and TotalEnergies, but we are lacking basic amenities.

“When you are coming to Rumuekpe community, you can see that we don’t have roads, we don’t have drinking water, no hospital, no market, no light and no school.

“We are calling on these companies and the government to provide these amenities for our people because we have suffered a lot,” he said.