Communities hosting Shell's Estuaries Area (EA) oilfields in Bayelsa on Wednesday urged the oil firm to review its annual development funding from $1 million to $10 million and other social obligations to them.
The communities which
make of four Cluster Development Boards (CDBs) ,Iduwini, Mein, Kou, and Bassan
funded by Shell also demanded the payment of outstanding $14 million for sea
anchorage for vessels deployed by Shell.
According to them the
amount which accrued from 2006 till date must be offset within the next 21 days
or they will be compelled to stage a peaceful protest at Shell's EA oilfield in
Bayelsa.
They lamented the the plight of some 80 members of the host communities who were engaged by Shell in
the ongoing oil drilling campaign to acquire experience but regretted that they
have been rendered redundant and paid 'stay at home allowance'for the past one
year.
The communities in
Ekeremor and Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa in a press
conference in Yenagoa said that the oilfirm was marginalising the communities
despite their hospitable nature.
Mr Wuka Brisibe,
Chairman of Community Development Chairman (CDC) in Ekeni on the their 12
communities hosting the oilfields regretted that development had eluded the
coastline settlements despite operating the Global Memorandum of Understanding
(GMoU) with Shell.
"The sum of One
million dollars irregularly paid to the four CDBs covering the 12 host
communities of the E.A, fields as the GMOU funds is inadequate.
"Each of the host
communities receives approximately 83,333 dollars which upon conversion at the
present rate of N450.00 per dollar amounts to N37,499,850 only per
annum.
"Our people
cannot bear the brunt of years of oil and gas exploration and exploitation and
not benefit from contracts, supplies and services provided for the operations
of the said facilities.
"We are utterly
displeased with the disposition of the SPDC in awarding vessel, service and
supplies contracts envisaged within the local community content to non-natives
and their companies whom we know are members of staff of SPDC or their cronies.
"This is done in
flagrant disregard for the capacity and capability of natives of host
communities to provide the said services or execute such contract.
"We totally
condemn the ungentlemanly attitude of the SPDC in its non-compliance with the
local community content policy and practice against its hosts at the E.A. oil
field in Bayelsa," Brisibe said.
They called for a
review of the GMOU to limit the interference by Shell officials in
determining the pace of the GMOU especially concerning remuneration of
contractors upon completion of contracts or milestones.
Meanwhile Shell
Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) had said itsofficial sal
contribution to the development of host communities in Bayelsa is now over N23
billion
The company said under
the GMoU, a model which places the choice of community projects on the people
while the company provides the funding and necessary mentoring.
SPDC General Manager
External Relations, Mr Igo Weli, said that the amount represented about half of
the company’s GMoU spend in its host communities in the Niger Delta since the
introduction of the community development model in 2006.
On the demand for the
review of the $1 million annual obligation, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, SPDC's Media
Relations Managersaid when contacted that he would would look at the issues
raised and respond soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment