Prominent Niger Delta Activist and Akulagba of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayirimi Emami says he has no issue against the suit purportedly instituted by The Igba of Warri Kingdom, Chief Rita Lori-Ogbebor, National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, NAIG and some ‘unnamed prominent Itsekiri leaders’ against the “Delta State Government, Chevron and Chief Ayirimi Emami” in the Warri High Court.
Chief Emami in a press statement issued Wednesday February 22, noted that he has already contracted his lawyers to do the needful about the suit, saying that it will afford Chevron Nigeria Limited, Operator of the NNPC/Chevron Joint Venture, which is the sole sponsor of Itsekiri Regional Development Committee, IRDC and the Delta State Government the opportunity to explicitly explain the workings of IRDC so as to clear all misconceptions.
According to the Warri based businessman, the declaration sought by the plaintiffs for Chevron to provide the approved and executed copy of the Global Memorandum of Understanding, GMoU, will make the world understand that the Community Engagement Management Board, CEMB, Project Review Committee, PRC and other Committees established by Chevron with technical support from the Delta State Government and three Warri Local Governments are saddled with the responsibility of project approval as well as scrutiny.
While acknowledging the imperative for the plaintiffs’ declaration that the total sum of money paid into the GMoU accounts from 2005 till date, both onshore and offshore be accounted for, Chief Emami quipped that Chairmen of IRDC from inception are only signatories to approvals, after necessary due process cutting across the CEMB and open bidding process supervised by Officials of Delta State Government, NAPIMS, Chevron Nigeria Limited and representatives of DESOPADEC as well as Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Councils in the CEMB Sub Committees.
He admonished Chief Rita Lori Ogbebor and other plaintiffs to equally institute processes that will ensure that houses built by IRDC in the 23 Oil and Gas bearing communities under its purview are occupied by Itsekiris to save it from the present waste, adding that it will be equally wise for Chief Ogbebor to put the Federal Government and the Okowa led Delta State Government to task on how the 13% Derivation Funds and other statutory allocations have impacted on Itsekiri communities.
“It is not enough to always petition fellow Itsekiris to EFCC in a bid to malign their personalities, but it is vitally important for the likes of Chief Rita Lori to critically address Government neglect, project abandonment and illegal occupation of Itsekiri God given lands”, Emami stressed.
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