Ijaw stakeholders are insisting that International Oil Companies divesting from the Niger Delta must prioritize the cleanup of polluted sites in their host communities within Ijaw land before concluding their withdrawal.
They contend that the Petroleum Industry Act was crafted with the intention of exacerbating the underdevelopment of the region.
The group communicated their stance through a communique following a one-day dialogue hosted by the Ijaw National Congress at its national headquarters in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Friday. The dialogue centered on the theme, ‘The imperative for a paradigm shift.’
Shell confirmed on Monday that it had reached an agreement to sell its onshore oil assets in Nigeria to Renaissance, a consortium comprising four Nigerian companies and one foreign firm, for $2.4 billion.
Shell, which had been operating in Nigeria for over 60 years, in a statement by its London office, said with the deal, its onshore subsidiary, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, will now be operated by ND Western, Aradel Energy, First E&P, Waltersmith, and Petrolin, a Swiss company.
However, the oil major emphasized that the completion of the deal is subject to approval from the Federal Government of Nigeria.
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The Ministry of Petroleum Resources stated on Thursday that the Federal Government of Nigeria has no opposition to Shell’s sale of oil assets.
In a statement endorsed by Nneamaka Okafor, the Special Adviser on Media and Communication to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, the government reaffirmed its dedication to creating a business-friendly environment in the nation’s oil and gas industry.
The President of INC, Prof Benjamin Okaba, who read the communique to journalists noted that ‘very soon, Ijaw territories would become private estates of these local investors with international connections.’
He said, ‘The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) is anti-Ijaw in all ramifications. The NNPC has been privatised by the Federal Government, and the International Oil Companies (IOCs) are divesting their oil assets around Ijaw land with local consortiums buying up shares.’
‘However, before the IOCs are allowed to pull out, they should be made to clean up the environmental mess they have created. The new investors should relocate their headquarters to Ijaw territories where they have their oil facilities.’
‘Despite contributing over 60 per cent to oil and gas production, which is the country’s main source of economic survival, there are no major infrastructures across Ijaw land. For instance, the East-West Road that traverses Ijaw land is still deplorable and impassable, and several Ijaw communities remain inaccessible by road.’
Africa Today News, New York