Irate community chases out Shell officials

Vanguard (Nigeria): Irate community chases out Shell officials  

Written by Emma Arubi    
Friday, 11 April 2008 

OFFICIALS of Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC-West, were yesterday at Uzere, Isoko South Council of Delta state chased out of the community by the entire people for unfulfilled promises even as they gave the oil giant a 21-days ultimatum to complete a six years cottage hospital and ten years epileptic water projects or have their operations shut down.

The SPDC team led by Mr. Yemi Awolola, the Community Inter Face Coordinator, Land Area, West, had gone to the oil rich community for this year’s SPDC organized “People’s Parliament” where lectures on various topic of mutual benefit would have been delivered.

Trouble started when immediately after the address of the community president-general’s speech, Mr Yemi Awolola of SPDC was to make his opening address but the microphone was suddenly seized from the MC by Mr. Emma Ekebe who went ahead to reel out all the alleged atrocities of SPDC against the people and at the end announced that the Parliament session has been cancelled and adjourned until when SPDC is ready to deal positively with all the issues at stake, to which the mammoth gathering applauded.

In a letter addressed to the managing director, SPDC, Port-Harcourt, Mr. Mutiu Sunmonu and signed by the Uzere Kingdom secretary-general, David Aladha;  High Chief Iduh Amadhe, Chairman, Hospital project monitoring committee and its secretary, Mr. Emma Ekebe respectively, they said “it is indeed painful, shameful and most inhuman for SPDC to operate in Uzere for over 50years and the people are denied and lacking basic amenities.

They stated that Uzere is second to Oloibiri and is the single largest oil producing community on land with two fields, 39 oil wells and a peak production output of 56,000 barrels per day noting that while SPDC recently completed a multimillion-dollar chain link fence around its facility in Uzere in less than three months, their water and hospital projects have lasted between 6 and 10 years.
 
The obvious prepared and furious leaders and people said SPDC has taken their meek nature for granted and they are tired and now willing to take their destinies into their own if at the expiration of the 21 days their demands are not met the company should be ready for baptism of fire just as they would be required to move out of the area.
 
Some of their immediate demands from the Anglo-Dutch oil giant are the release of fund for the completion and commissioning of the Uzere cottage hospital; energizing the water scheme from the SPDc flow station; completion of the Tapioca drying plant and provision of a well equipped science laboratory for the Uzere Grammar School .
 
Other demand include relocation of the West and East Flow stations to a distance location due to the multiple health and economic hazards to the people and commencement of environmental remedial process including replacement of damaged roofs due to gas flare.
 
http://www.vanguardngr.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6503&Itemid=44 

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