●Host community demands 130 million dollar damages
Grave socio-economic and political explosion is imminent in Eastern Obolo local government area of Akwa Ibom State, as traditional rulers, leaders of thought and other stakeholders of the area, are up against the alleged encroachment of over 3,000 hectares of land by Sterling Petrochemical and Fertilizer Limited (SPFL).
Representatives of the local government area, in a world press conference held on Thursday, January 30, at the Villa Hilton Hotel and Apartments, Uyo, reeled out several allegations of illegal activities by the company, which they say, impinge on their fundamental human rights.
The text of the press statement entitled, “The Illegal Closure of Creeks, Planned Forceful Displacement of Obianga/Ikonta Villages and Irreparable Devastation of the Environment by Sterling Petrochemical & Fertilizer Limited was endorsed by over 30 stakeholders of the area, including the HRM Uboon Harry J. Etetor, paramount ruler of Ibeno LGA and Chief Joshua Matthew Ayagwung, village Head of Emereoke who read the text of press statement.
The statement reads thus in parts: “We, the chiefs, leaders of thought and good people of Eastern Obolo Local Government Area are here today with deep indignation and profound concern over the operational activities of Sterling Petrochemical and Fertilizer Limited (SPFL), an Indian Petrochemical Company operating within the territorial precinct of Eastern Obolo Local Government Area.
“Recall that AKSG in 2022, acquired 1,736 hectares of our ancestral land from Ikonta, Obianga, Okoroinyong, Egwenwe, Emereoke, Iwofe and Amazaba communities for the operations of Sterling Petrochemical and Fertilizer Limited (SPFL). This has caused destruction of our ecosystem and threatens to wipe out over seven gazetted villages.
“Therefore, we have gathered today to expose the egregious injustices, highhandedness, corruption, breach of law and due process, non-compliance with extant and applicable environmental laws and global best practice perpetrated by the Indians operating SPFL on our land.”
According to Eastern Obolo people, the SPFL, after illegally closing their creeks, and breaching extant and applicable environmental laws, breaching agreements with host communities and grabbing land, they also refused to comply with Local Content Law, thereby breaching Expatriate Quota.
The people insist that SPFL has also failed to fulfil its corporate social responsibility, and ultimately planned to forcefully displace and evacuate Ikonta and Obianga Communities.
“Despite subsisting injunctive court order by Hon. Justice Joy Unwana of the Akwa Ibom State High Court in Suit No. HU/387/2023, the Indians operating SPFL led by one Col. Gush Amit and Mr. Naseer; armed with military personnel and militants, have forcefully and illegally closed all the creeks, including Obianga/Ikonta and Okolo Otuita, thereby trapping our communities with no access in or out of the community.
“The Environmental Impact Assessment Act, which mandatorily requires proponents to put in place a comprehensive environmental management plan to mitigate environmental issues that may arise out of the implementation of the project has not been followed as they have not presented any EIA report that justifies the closure of our creeks and the planned displacement of our communities for any reason whatsoever.
“Reports from our environmental experts show that the unregulated operational activities of SPFL have already led to decline in agricultural activities, particularly the deplorable state of fishing (which is the main occupation of our people), acidic precipitation and corrosion, surface water pollution, Atlantic Ocean encroachment and irredeemable damage of the ecosystem.
“It has also been established that the operational activities of SPFL so far does not align with any of the 17 global goals of sustainable development which was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015”, the statement revealed.
They argued that an agreement reached in 2001 for Eastern Obolo to relocate a fishing settlement, for which SPFL was to “clear, sand fill and compact 23 hectares of land and make it habitable for the people of Lagos fishing settlement”, has been breached.
They accused SPFL of rather forcefully chasing away the fishermen of Lagos fishing settlement and annexing “their land from the lawfully acquired 1,736 hectares of land to currently encroaching well over 3,000 hectares of land.
“We are not ignorant of the fact that this land grabbing strategy aligns with the grand plot of the enemies of Obolo people to exterminate and decimate us out of existence. Gentlemen of the Press, we see the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob in this whole arrangement”, the statement reads.
They further accused SPFL of taking over all categories of employment in SPFL, including but not limited to machine operators, cooks, cleaners and all kinds of unskilled jobs that are supposed to be the exclusive preserve of the locals, with over 1,000 Indians, mostly illegal immigrants, working as skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled employees of SPFL.
This, they said breaches Expatriate Quota policy and the Nigerian Local Content Law which provides for the use of local resources and services in the oil and gas industries to reduce the number of foreign expatriate participation in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.
They alleged that while SPFL has not executed any project, including portable water, thereby bringing about a recent outbreak of cholera in the community, they equally ignored the call by Gov Umo Eno that they should replicate the construction of model primary school like the Christ the King Primary School (CKS), on Wellington Bassey Way Uyo, on their host communities.
The statement further reads, “For the avoidance of doubt, the compensation that was paid by Akwa Ibom State Government to Ikonta, Obianga, Okoroinyong, Egwenwe, Emereoke, Iwofe and Amazaba communities was in respect of crops and economic trees, AND NOT FOR THE CLOSURE OF CREEKS, as creeks do not constitute part and parcel of land for the purpose of payment of compensation.
“Let it be known by SPFL and the entire world that the tripartite agreement signed by the host communities, SPFL and Akwa Ibom State Government on the 17th Day of October, 2022 was just for the purpose of facilitating the payment of prompt compensation and does not have any clause therein for either the closure of creeks or relocation of Obianga/Ikonta Villages or any of the host communities.
“We are aware that these Indians plan to release harmful and hazardous substances into the air within the host communities so as to suffocate and forcefully displace our people.”
They demanded that SPFL must immediately reopen all blocked water ways and creeks and restore them to their original state; jettison any conceived or imaginary plan to relocate or displace the people of Ikonta and Obianga communities; and provide a 23 hectares habitable land for the resettlement of the people of Lagos fishing settlement as agreed by parties and witnessed by the Akwa Ibom State Government in 2021.
Also part of their demand were that, “SPFL must pay the people of Eastern Obolo the sum of 100 million US dollars as compensation for the irreparable damage done to our environment and ecosystem.
“We call on the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Nigerian Extractive Industry and Transparency Initiative (NEITI), the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and other government agencies and International Environmental organizations to beam their regulatory search light on the operations of SPFL and ensure that they comply strictly with extant laws and global best practice.
“We hereby call on the Hon. Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi (SAN); the National Security Adviser, the Inspector General of Police, the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Service, to investigate and prosecute any illegal Indian immigrant found within Eastern Obolo in particular and Akwa Ibom State at large.
“SPFL should vacate the over 1,200 hectares of land occupied by them in excess of the acquired 1,736 hectares of land and restrict its operations there at.
“We demand the payment 30 million US Dollars for trespass and encroachment into our ancestral land, which does not form part and parcel of the acquired 1,736 hectares of land.
“These demands must be taken seriously and if SPFL fails within 14 days to address our demand, we shall be left with no other option than to deploy all instrumentality of law to press home our demands including peaceful protests.
“We call on His Excellency, the compassionate Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the Federal Government, the International Community and all men of good conscience to come to our help and hold SPFL accountable.”
Meanwhile, all attempts by WatchmanPost to reach a media relations personality of SPFL for response proved abortive as contact could not be established with the company.
