Residents of Ikarama, in Yenagoa local government,
Bayelsa on Monday requested construction of a two kilometre access to an
oilfield operated by Nigeria Agip Oil Company in the area.
Hundreds of members of the community who sang solidarity
songs and danced round the riverside settlement made the demand during an
advocacy rally at Ikarama.
Speaking at the event, Chief Herbertson Alfred bemoaned a
scenario where officials of Agip pass through neighbouring communities in
Rivers state to get access to Ikarama fields a distance of approximately 16
kilometers.
He said that the practice makes it difficult for the
community to monitor movement of unscrupulous people who often vandalised
pipelines at the oilfield to create the wrong impression that Ikarama people
are vandals.
He said that the people had tabled its request for construction
of the two-kilometre access road in writing and was deploying peaceful and
persuasive ways to get Agip to see the need for the road to both parties.
“Agip started operating in Ikarama forests in 1984, and
when they started operations they said they did not have the resources to
construct a bridge across the Ikarama river and opted to pass through Idagbare
in Rivers.
“That route is awkward and causes a lot of problems, it
is like a visitor passing through the window or kitechen to enter your house,
we want Agip to come into Ikarama through our entrance and not through the
window.
“Fortunately Shell had constructed a solid bridge across
Ikarama river to their own location in Ikarama so it has become very easy and
the community will give them the land at no cost because the road will open up
the areas nearby.
“It will be a win win situation for all of us and we had
appealed to Agip to do the road and we want other stakeholders to prevail on
the oil firm to take advantage of our hand of friendship and work with us to
unlock our potentials.” He said.
The monarch stated that contrary to the perception that
Ikarama was notorious for oil spills from pipeline sabotage; the breaches in
the oilfield were perpetrated by people who gain access through other communities.
Speaking also, Mrs Ayibakoro Warder Women leader of
Ikarama noted that the road to the oilfields would add value to the fishing and
farming vocations of the people and connect them to the markets for their produce.
She said that the construction of the access road to the
Ikarama oil fields would reposition the area for economic development and bring
the social benefits to the community.
“For a very long time the benefits accruing from our
lands in Ikarama has been going to other communities in Rivers state, the
officials of Agip ave not seen us as their hosts and we do not know when they
come and go.
“We want them to do a road to their Taylor Creek
locations 1 and 2 so that we will be closer to them and get the benefits from
our natural endowments as well as open up the vast fertile land where we farm”
Warder said.
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