UPU urges FG to site Gas Flare Trust Fund in Urhobo land

President-general, Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Olorogun Moses Taiga, has called on the Federal Government to site the National Headquarters of the Gas Flare Trust Fund in Urhobo land, Delta State.

In a letter titled: ‘Sitting of the National Headquarters of the Gas Flare Trust Fund’ to President Muhammadu Buhari, through the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, dated August 12, 2020. Taiga said Urhobo land is entitled to the headquarters of the Gas Flare Trust Fund since other states and ethnic nationality have gotten their fair share of government establishments.

Giving the statistics of the locations of headquarters federal commissions/agencies in the country, UPU wrote: “Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)’s headquarter is sited in Port Harcourt Rivers State, Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) headquarters in Kaduna State, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project’s headquarter in Port Harcourt, Nigerian Content Management Board’s headquarter Yenogoa Bayelsa State and national Petroleum Development Company’s headquarter Benin City Edo State.”

The union buttressed its right to have the fund located in its land-based on its oil and gas production and landmass impact from gas flare and operational environmental degradation.

“Urhobo ethnic nationality has been a host to major assets since the discovery of petroleum in Nigeria producing oil and gas from- Afiesere, Eriemu, Osioka, Enwreni, and Oroni (In OML 30); Ughelli East, Utorog, Effurun, Warri River and Orho 1 fields (in OML 34), Okwefe Amukpe, Okporhuru and Msogar, Ovhor and Orhogbo (in OML 38), Sapele, Ubaleme, Okpororo fields (in OML41), Matsogo fields (in OML 56), Ahor, Okwefe, Deep and Oghareki Fields (in OML 49) among others,” the letter read.

“The Urhobos are also host to some of the largest fields, both producing and not produced with the Ughelli East and Utogorun Gas fields being the largest of all. These respectively have the Ughelli East gas plant and Utogorun gas plant, the largest gas plant in West Africa.”

UPU added that the fields enumerated in (1) above are served by oil flow stations, pumping stations and the gas plants mention in (2) above. These are all sources of gas and other pollutants emission. “To be candid Sir, the Urhobo people and their environ, being upland and swamp, I venture to say had more than enough shares gas flare, than any other nationality in Nigeria.

“From the above, it is clear our land is entitled to the headquarter, other states and ethnic nationality have gotten their fair share of the Federal Government establishments. In addition, based on our oil and gas production and landmass impact from gas flare and operational environmental degradation, we should be the benefactors of this headquarters location.

While UPU promised to be eternally grateful if its request is granted, it said, “We have earmarked a large landmass for construction if new facilities need to be built.”