Over 34 communities in the coastal area of Warri South-West Local<\/p>\n
Government Area of Delta state, has jointly slammed the Nigerian National
\nPetroleum Corporation, NNPC, a 7-days ultimatum to accede to their demands
\nor risk the shut\u00a0down of Escravos Crude Truck Line which supplies products
\nto the Warri refinery.<\/p>\n
The Ijaw communities have been battling the\u00a0Nigeria Pipeline Storage
\nCompany (NPSC) formerly PPMC, a subsidairy of NNPC over the August 17,
\n2016\u00a0massive crude oil spill which NNPC has earlier acknowledged as
\nresulting from its facility failure.<\/p>\n
The ultimatum is coming a day before leaders of the Niger Delta region
\nwould be at the Presidential Villa to meet with\u00a0President Muhammadu Buhari
\non how to stop militancy, pipeline vandalism and chant a way forward for
\nthe region.<\/p>\n
The communities which accuses NNPC of playing hanky-panky game over the
\nspill, lamented that the spillage have caused the people grave\u00a0pains and
\nsorrow as they could no long carry out fishing and farming, a predominant
\noccupation in the area or\u00a0enjoy the fauna and flora of their environment.<\/p>\n
Issuing the ultimatum on Sunday, the communities in a statement signed by
\nMesser\u00a0Johnbull Demebi, \u00a0Edward Odudu and\u00a0Chief Moses Bebenimibo,\u00a0\u00a0berated
\nthe corporation for its sudden u-turn on the cause of the oil spill,
\nthreatening that if NNPC fails to comply with its demands to\u00a0clean-up the
\nimpacted communities, provide relief materials and pay adequate and fair
\ncompensation to the communities and people, they will be left with no
\nother option than to shut down the Escravos truck line.<\/p>\n
The affected communities are; Ikpokpo, Tejubor, Okpelema, Opuede,
\nOpuede-Zion, Opuedebubor, Meka-Ama, Oto-Gbene, New Jerusalem Zion,
\nMala-Gbene, Atanba, Okerenkoko-Gbene, Oporoza federated communities,
\nGama-Zion, Azama, Inikorogha, Ibanfa, Igoba, Kunukunuama, Pepeama,
\nKurutie, Jaghala, Okerenkoko, Egwa, Bikumor, Sarabubowei, Benikrukru,
\nKokodiagbene, Kantu, Bebebopre Zion, Olukperebu, Oburu, Ogbotu-Gbene and
\nSeitorsububor Communities of Gbaramatu Kingdom.<\/p>\n
According to the communities, in a letter to the Group Managing Director
\nof NNPC and Managing Director of the Nigeria Pipeline Storage Company
\n(NPSC) formerly PPMC, dated the 26th of October, 2016, the joint
\ninvestigation visit (JIV) on the spill site was concluded on Monday 17th
\nof October, 2016 with representatives of the National Oil Spill Detection
\nand Response Agency (NOSDRA), NNPC\/NPSC, Ministry of Environment, NNPC
\nsurveillance contractor (OMS) and communities affected in attendance.<\/p>\n
Giving a graphic details of what led to the ultimatum, the communities
\nsaid, it was unanimously agreed by all parties concerned at the conclusion
\nof the JIV that the cause of the massive oil spillage which lasted for two
\nmonths was as a result of equipment failure at 6 o\u2019clock (beneath the
\npipeline) at a welding joint.<\/p>\n
They stated that the Spokesman of NNPC, Garba Deen Mohammed had confirmed
\nthis position earlier on September 8, 2016 in an online report.<\/p>\n
“This unanimous agreement led to the communities giving permission to
\nNNPC\/NPSC to go ahead with the repair work to enable them pump crude oil
\nfrom the Escravos terminal to Warri Refinery.<\/p>\n
“However, to the surprise of the communities immediately after the repair
\nwork on the trunk line was done, NNPC\/NPSC officials in Warri who had
\nearlier agreed that the cause of the spillage was equipment failure made a
\ncomplete turn around and claimed that they have instruction from Abuja not
\nto accept the cause of the spill as equipment failure for now and subject
\nthe pipeline to further forensic analysis.<\/p>\n
The ruptured pipeline has been taken away for the so called forensic
\nanalysis by NNPC\/NPSC without the involvement of NOSDRA, Ministry of
\nenvironment and community representatives, they alleged.<\/p>\n
They however described as “insulting and provocative for a spiller” like
\nthe NNPC\/NPSC to refuse to accept the cause of an oil spill that has been
\ndetermined and accepted by the regulators – NOSDRA and the Ministry of
\nEnvironment.<\/p>\n
“NNPC\/NPSC is only interested in pumping crude oil through the trunk line
\nwhereas the affected communities are in pains and sorrow with more
\ncommunities affected by the spill because of the deliberate and willful
\nrefusal of NNPC to clean up the impacted communities and curtain further
\nspread.<\/p>\n
“The communities in the light of the foregoing have given the NNPC\/NPSC
\n(PPMC), seven days ultimatum to clean-up the impacted communities, provide
\nrelief materials and pay adequate and fair compensation to the communities
\nand people.<\/p>\n
“If NNPC\/NPSC fails to comply with our demands within seven days, we would
\nhave no other option than to shut down the Escravos to Warri trunk line
\nuntil our demands are met”, they threatened.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Over 34 communities in the coastal area of Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta state, has jointly slammed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, a 7-days ultimatum to accede…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-54327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n