Bloc 'A' in Saturn 1 Project: We will not tolerate lumping us with five other communities, Ugbeyen indigenes write Chevron

The people of Ugbeyen Community in Warri North Local Government Area, Delta State, have written the Managing Director of Chevron Nigeria Limited, saying they will not tolerate lumping their community with five other communities in  the Bloc 'A' in Saturn 1 Project, asking the oil and gas major to reconstitute Ugbeyen alone as a bloc within 14days from the receipt of the letter or the project management team of Saturn-1 should be held responsible for what may happen afterwards.

In the letter dated Thursday February 3 and made available to Fresh Angle International, Friday February 4, people of Ugbeyen, stated: “We wish to abundantly make it clear to Chevron that this arrangement is most unacceptable to Ugbeyen Community and will not be tolerated under any guise. Given the strategic importance of Ugbeyen Community to Saturn 1 Project and being a direct loss, we consider it an insult to be grouped in a bloc with other communities. We hereby strongly request that Ugbeyen Community alone should be constituted as a bloc”.

The letter signed by the Vice Chairman and Secretary of Ugbeyen Community, Mr. Omatseye Andrew Oritsedere and Mr. Appearance Tangbe, respectively, added: “Ugbenyen Community is an indigenous Itsekiri community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, with a distinct territory and administrative structure. Ugbeyen Community is recognized as an independent community by the Palace of the Olu of Warri, Warri North Local Government, Delta State Government, the Federal Government and their agencies. The Community is a beneficiary of same developmental projects by the different tiers of government, international organisations and even Chevron Nigeria Limited (hereinafter simply referred to as Chevron). Ugbeyen Community is host to some Chevron oil wells and pipelines. More importantly, the entire territory of Ugbeyen Community falls within the earmarked 258.16 hectares of land Chevron intends to acquire for its Saturn 1 Location.

“The people of Ugbeyen Community are not unaware of the recently constituted Bloc 'A' in Saturn 1 Project, wherein Ugbeyen Community was lumped with other five communities in a bloc. We wish to abundantly make it clear to Chevron that this arrangement is most unacceptable to Ugbeyen Community and will not be tolerated under any guise. Given the strategic importance of Ugbeyen Community to Saturn 1 Project and being a direct loss, we consider it an insult to be grouped in a bloc with other communities. We hereby strongly request that Ugbeyen Community alone should be constituted as a bloc. This is the only acceptable arrangement that can secure our cooperation and anything short of this will be viewed as invitation for avoidable confrontation.

“Furthermore, it is our avowed position that compensation for crops MUST be paid directly to Ugbeyen Community. Chevron will be spitting on our faces and challenging us to a duel, if compensation for the crops we labour so hard to cultivate over the years, is not paid to us. Be it abundantly made known to you that doing otherwise than as suggested will amount to a call for anarchy and be rest assured that we are ready and well able to fight for our right any time any day. A word is enough for the wise. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

“Kindly take note that there would not be further communication to you on the above subject matter and if within fourteen (14) days from the receipt of this letter nothing is heard from you, the management of Chevron Nigeria Ltd and the project management team of Saturn-1 should be held responsible for what may happen afterwards. This is the fifth letter we have written to Chevron in recent past, without any feedback and we will not continue to make ourselves available for any kind of disdain under whatever guise”.

They copied strategic security personnel, relevant offices of Chevron Nigeria Limited and Tebu Community.

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