ADVERTORIAL: ADDRESS THE GROSS MARGINALIZATION OF FEDERATED OMADINO COMMUNITIES IN PROJECT EXECUTION,RESPECT FOR RULE OF LAW, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CONTRACTS FOR INDIGENOUS CONTRACTORS AND

FEDERATED OMADINO      COMMUNITIES

ADDRESS THE GROSS MARGINALIZATION OF FEDERATED OMADINO COMMUNITIES IN PROJECT EXECUTION,RESPECT FOR RULE OF LAW, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CONTRACTS FOR INDIGENOUS CONTRACTORS AND THE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED 57 MARGINAL FIELDS OFFER IN 9 DAYS OR WE SHUTDOWN OPERATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS COMPANIES (IOCs) IN OUR LAND

Your Excellency

Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR

President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Aso Villa

Abuja.

Sir,

ADDRESS THE GROSS MARGINAZATION OF THE FEDERATED OMADINO COMMUNITIES IN PROJECT EXECUTION, RESPECT FOR RULE OF LAW, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, CONTRACTS AND THE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED 57 MARGINAL FIELDS OFFER IN 9 DAYS OR WE SHUTDOWN OPERATIONS OF INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS COMPANIES (IOCs) IN OUR LAND.

Your Excellency, We the people of the federated Omadino Communities which comprises of Ode-Omadino, Esungbo, Egwa tie, Egwa kporo, Aghigho, Ogheye-Akpata, Ubaeyin, Eyin-ogbe, Ubakporo, Oteghele, Ukpokiti, Uba- Okorotie, Okerenghigho, Uba-kokodie and Ugbokoko who are in Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North respectively wish to express our displeasure at the gross marginalization of our people by your administration despite our peaceful nature. As law abiding people that are committed to the sustainable peace and development of this country, we are fully aware of the security challenges your administration is confronting headlong across the country, especially in the North East. We are however constrained to express our frustration regarding the brazen and ever worsening marginalization we currently face by those in charge of managing affairs our nation particularly in the Oil and Gas Sector. The Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), and its subsidiaries such as NAPIMS, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), DPR and NPDC (with partners Neconde Energy and Nest Oil).

The marginalization is also clearly evident in the way and manner your administration clearly ignored supreme court judgement which is the highest court in the land that uphold the naming of our land in the Nigerian Maritime university 'Okerenghigho' wrongfully called Okerenkoko which is not known to law in clear disregard to the judgement of the highest court in the land given our peaceful nature that has made oil and gas exploration continue unhindered in the area.

We are also surprised at the abrupt abandonment of the Multi-Billion Dollar Gas Revolution Industrial Park Project and Deep Sea Port in Warri South- West Local Government Area, Delta State. This project has the potential to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs as well as boost the economic activities in the riverine area which our people will equally benefit maximally from.

We still can't phantom  why the age-long Omadino - Escravos (Ugborodo) Road, expected to connect  Omadino to the other  Oil and Gas- rich Coastal Communities in Warri South and Warri South-West Local Government Areas, remain abandoned till date, despite exploitation of the huge natural resources from the area. The federated Omadino Communities is  the  undisputed richest oil producing community in the country with invariably nothing tangible in terms of human capital and infrastructural development to show for the over 60 years exploration in our land. It is pitiable that we owns Jones creek flow station(OML42), EGWA 1 and EGWA 2(OML42), Utunana flow station, Makaraba flow station, s

Stakeholder at Uriapele Flow Station (OML32), Conoil Field (OML 150) amongst others but yet majority of our people leave in abject poverty while multi billionaire projects are daily being executed in other areas of the country particularly the northern part of the nation where you come from You neglected our area who produce the bulk of the funds used to fund the nations economy. It is more like using Peter to pay Paul.

Despite the continuous  cry of marginalization from Omadino people and other Itsekiri groups and professional bodies, urging you to direct the relevant Federal Government MDAs such as Federal Ministry of Works, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and NDDC as well as the multi-national oil and gas companies, to immediately embark on large scale shore protection/sand-filling projects in Omadino lands and other Itsekiri riverine/oil producing communities, Your administration has continued to ignore  the continuous appeal to save our riverine/oil producing communities from rampaging Ocean Surge yet you continue to exploit our land.

We, the  Omadino people have been decrying  the apparent aberration of the Local Content Act as it affects direct employment opportunities into Chevron Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company( NPDC), Nest oil limited, Neconde Energy limited, Conoil, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) and other IOCs, operating in our communities. These companies continues to employ non-indigenes with impunity and fly them to work in our homeland and other Itsekiri Offshore Locations in flagrant disregard to the local content laws put by the government of the federation despite several petitions written to the body set up by government to ensure compliance while our eminently qualified graduates as well as technicians roam the streets and continue to live in penury in the mist of plenty jobs in their own land. This modern day slavery of our people has gone on for too long.

It is dishearten to know that while gas pipelines from our Communities provide electricity to the north and other areas and it is public knowledge that there is an ingoing multi-billion dollar project Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Gas pipeline project to provide electricity to the north most of our Communities are in darkness while we are compelled to protect the pipeline which we continue to do in what appears to be a modern day slavery in our land. This was clearly seen during this COVID-19 pandemic lock down when funds from our oil rich region were been shared in the northern part of the nation and other areas while Omadino indigenes particularly the indigent where left to fend for themselves or die in penury by the federal government as delta state was not even captured whereas the funds accrued from crude oil sales were been given to the indigent in other areas.

We wish to state categorically that there was gross marginalization with deliberate intent to eschewed our people from the oil licensing bid offers, since the discovery of Crude Oil in our Homeland over 60 years ago despite the huge environment hazards, poor sanitary conditions, lack of health care facilities and zero Federal Presence Omadino and in other Itsekiri Oil and Gas Producing/Impacted Communities in the Niger Delta.  This is also coupled with lopsided appointments in the recently board/management of the NNPC even when the Itsekiri Nation contributes over 35% of Nigeria's Crude Oil & Gas Resources.

It is against this background therefore, we strongly reject in totality the recently announced 57 Marginal Fields, offered by the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR. We can no longer continue to sit down and watch non-indigenes, being offered Oil Mining Licenses in our homeland, when we have capable Omadino indigenes and other Itsekiri Sons and Daughters, whose firms are qualified, but repeatedly denied such licenses by the sustained-structural bias of the DPR that has continued to disgraceful marginalize our people.   

We challenge the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, NNPC and its subsidiaries within the next Nine (9) days to publish the names/companies that own Crude Oil Blocs in Delta State. Because records available to us, indicate that no indigenous Itsekiri from the oil producing communities and federated Omadino Community indigenes in particular has or operates Oil bloc in the State, even though the Crude Oil and Gas Resources are exploited in our God-given land. We are saying 'Enough is Enough!’.   

The Federal Government often complain of the negative impact of Crude Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism across the country (especially the Niger Delta) have on the economy, but suffices to emphasis that the continuous neglect of Omadino federated communities in your administration and opening up investment opportunities for them in the Oil and Gas Sector, can only aggravate Crude Oil Theft and Pipeline Vandalism.    

OUR DEMANDS:

·         We are calling on you to immediately halt the current process of bids for the 57 Marginal Fields and come up with new modalities, where competent companies owned by Omadino Indigenes and other Itsekiri Sons and Daughters, would be given "right of first refusal: on fields in our homeland, before being thrown open to outsiders.  If competent companies owned by our people are not considered by DPR for the 57 Marginal Fields in the next Nine (9) days, with effect from Tuesday June 30, we will shut-down operations of the multi-national oil and gas companies (IOCs) operating in our homelands.

·         Obey Supreme court judgement by proper renaming of the Nigerian Maritime university to 'Okerenghigho' as opposed to the corrupted name 'Okerenkoko' to reflect the supreme court judgement in accordance to the rule of law and properly compensate our people.

·         Order immediate resumption of work at the Multi-Billion Dollar Gas Revolution Industrial Park Project, GRIP and Deep Sea Port in Warri South- West Local Government Area, Delta State.

·         Direct the relevant MDAs/IOCs to embark on large scale Shore protection/sand-filling projects all Omadino Federated Communities and other Itsekiri riverine/oil producing communities.

·         Immediately Institute process for the facilitation of the abandoned age-long Omadino - Escravos (Ugborodo) Road to completion.

·         Electrification of the federated Omadino Communities and other itsekiri revirine communities.

·         Employment of Omadino and other Itsekiri eminently qualified graduates and technicians to reflect the local content act as well as get the NNPC, NPDC, NGC and the IOCs to publish their workforce to reflect the number of our indigenes in their  organization in accordance with the local content act. 

·         Immediate relocation of all the  head and operational  office  of all companies operating in our land in accordance with the local content act  since it is save to exploit our area, it should also be save to set up their offices here as we are ready to make our vast land available to all companies operating in our land.

·          Restart the abandoned Sapele - Ughuoton - Omadino Bye pass road towards completion by your administration.

·          Appointment of capable Omadino and other Itsekiri indigenes in your administration.

Your Excellency, we eagerly await your immediate action, to avert fresh crisis in the Oil and Gas Industry as we are prepared to take our destinies in our hand if modalities are not put in place to address our demands nine (9) days after publishing this letter.

Signed

Roland Oti Yomere

Chief Priest Ti Omadino & Spokesman For Omadino Federated Communities.

Tsaye  Mene

For Omadino Federated Communities.

CC:

· The Minister of Defence

· The Chief of Defence Staff

· The Chief of Army Staff

· The Chief of Naval Staff

· The DG of DSS

· Delta State Governor

· Chairmen of Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North Local Government Areas of Delta State Federated

×