Delta communities threaten shutdown of oil operations

WARRI—HOST communities to Jones Creek Oil
Mining Lease, OML 42, in Warri South-West Local
Government Area, Delta State, have vowed to
occupy and shut operations in the oil field if issues in
dispute with Nestoil, a major contractor to the
Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC,

operators of the oil field were not promptly resolved.
This is contained in a resolution by the communities,
namely, Kokodiagbene, Omadino, Ekpemu Akpata,
Okerenkoko and Akpata Gbe-Gbe, following Monday’s
truce meeting with Nestoil mediated by the 3 Battalion,
Nigerian Army, Warri.
In the resolutions read by Sheriff Mulade, Chairman
of Kokodiagbene, the communities alleged that NPDC
and its major contractor have marginalised them since
taking over operations of the field from Shell Petroleum
Development Company in 2010.

He said: “There is connivance with NPDC top
management to register companies in their names and
sub-let contracts to same companies to look as if it was
in conformity with local content stipulations of the
Federal Government.

“We have details of these companies and one of them is
even trying to get an FTO (Freedom to Operate)
from the host communities.
“Another bone of contention is the no-employment policy
of NPDC towards the host communities, a development
that can best be described as appalling and atrocious.”

The communities are demanding among others “That,
Jones Creek Oil Field host communities will no longer
sign any fresh FTO with Nestoil Plc. Payment of
workers’ salaries shall not exceed 10th of the new
month.”