Delta Riverine Areas Development
Ijaw publishers advise Ijaw political office holders to prioritise development of riverine communities.
Ijaw publishers advise Ijaw political office holders to prioritise development of riverine communities.
By Anthony Beauty,
The Ijaw Publishers Forum has advised political office holders of Ijaw extraction to prioritise the development of Ijaw communities across the Niger Delta region.
The president of the media professionals, Comrade Ozobo Austin asserted this in Warri while receiving a protest from some youths over the collapsed Gbaregolor/Ogbeinama bridge, abandoned Bomadi/Ogulagha road, Ayakoromo Bridge and Ojobo/Torugbene road, Odimodi/Ogulagha road projects on Thursday.
He said despite the government at all levels failing to prioritise riverine communities’ development, Ijaw political leaders had a role to play to attract government presence to the marginalised oil-producing and impacted Ijaw riverine communities in Niger Delta.
The media professionals had emphasised that they would strongly advocate for the Ijaw community’s development following the unfortunate disrespect for the Ijaw Nation’s development by successive governments at all levels over the years.
While promising the protesting Youths to convey their plights and demands to the Delta State governor, His Excellency RT. Hon. Elder Sheriff Francis O. Oborevwori, he called on Delta Ijaw leaders to influence the completion of the aforementioned projects by lobbying the state governor and other relevant authorities in the federation.
Ozobo who further stated that Ijaw development is Ijaw’s responsibility, urged Ijaw political leaders to put more commitment to attracting meaningful development in their respective communities.
Burutu LGA
KOU DELTA COMMUNITIES CALL ON BRITANNIA-U NIGERIA LIMITED TO DO THE NEEDFUL OVER THE DRILLING PLATFORM FIRE ACCIDENT
PRESS RELEASE
July 23, 2024
KOU DELTA COMMUNITIES CALL ON BRITANNIA-U NIGERIA LIMITED TO DO THE NEEDFUL OVER THE DRILLING PLATFORM FIRE ACCIDENT
We, the Leadership of Kou Delta communities express our deep grief over the explosion touching a Floating Storage and Offloading (FSO) vessel operated by the indigenous oil and gas company, Britinna-U Nigeria Limited, at the Ajapa Marginal Oil Field on July 18, 2024.
We believe that whatever affects one correspondingly affects the other. Hence we sincerely extend our sympathy with the management and staff of Britannia-U Nigeria Limited for the huge financial losses incurred by the destroyed vessel and spilled crude oil.
Meanwhile, as Leaders of the Kou Delta communities, We are saddled with the uncompromising responsibility of seeing to the well-being and welfare of our communities and our common environment. It is on this ground that We are calling the attention of the Management of Britannia-U Nigeria Limited to the devastating impacts of the oil spillage on our local economies.
It is very unfortunate that the environmentally hazardous content of the exploded vessel is increasingly flowing through our sources of livelihoods, our rivers creeks, streams, ponds, and forests, wrecking havoc on our local means of survival and sustainance. Our fishing nets, hooks, lines, cages, etc. have all been rendered useless by this sad accident.
Our communities in Kou Delta, Burutu Local Government of Delta State, affected by this devastating explosion include:
1. Agge Okibou Community
2. Youtu Community
3. Okibou-Zion Community
4. Okofa-Aka Community
5. Okia Community
6. Kare-Epere Community
7. Belle Community
Other Kou Delta communities adversely affected include:
8. Iyanmenegbene
9. Selegbene
10. Atalegbene
11. Amos-Daugbene
12. Iselemoseigbene
13. Owologbene
14. Ogodo-Igbagbene
15. Igbepou
We therefore call upon the Management of Britannia-U Nigeria Limited, the Burutu Local Government Council, the Delta State Government, the DESOPADEC, the NDDC and the Federal Government to start by making provision of relief items and materials to assist our People until our economic water bodies, shores, banks, meadows and forests are resurrected and become healthy for fishing and farming activities to recommence.
And of ultimate importance is the unavoidable commitment of Britannia-U to be swift and humane enough to:
i. Deploy Safety Team to contain the unabating spread of the crude liquid gold into our ocean, rivers, creeks, streams, etc.
ii. Clean up our waterways of the liquid mess so that natural aquatic lives and aquatic vehicles could be revived, restored and resume work.
iii. Provide just and fair compensation to the communities and families that are adversely affected by this explosion.
We equally want to, again, use this opportunity to call on the oil companies operating in our seas, rivers, creeks, forests and lands to employ standard environmental health practices in their economic interactions with the resources of our environment, so that ugly, sad and preventable occurrences such as this could be prevented.
Signed:
Chief Patrick Irou,
National Chairman, Kou Delta
Comr. Obed Tomone,
Secretary General, Kou Delta