Stakeholder fault citing of ASOPADEC head office in Umuahia

By : Gordi Udeajah, Umuahia

Date: 30 September 2019 4:33am WAT

[FILES] A gas flare burns at the Batan flow station operated by Chevron under a joint-venture arrangement with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the onshore and offshore assets in the Niger Delta region on March 26, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI

An indigene of Ukwa West Council Area of Abia State, Chief John Ekeke has faulted the citing of the head office of Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ASOPADEC) in Umuahia, which is not among the oil-bearing areas.

Ekeke who expressed his displeasure at the commissioning of the head office at the weekend, cited the case of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), which head office was located in the Niger Delta region and not Abuja.

He argued that by locating the head office at Umuahia, the oil producing communities would be alienated from the commission, which has been vested with the mandate to develop the oil producing communities.

“If the mandate of the commission is to develop our communities, why do we have to be traveling to Umuahia to interact with the commission? He asked.