IN RE: UREJU COMMUNITY ACCUSES NEPL, ELCREST E& P NIGERIA LIMITED, OML 40 GBETIOKUN FIELD OF SUBVERTING PIA, TO RESIST IMPOSITION OF PROJECT

PRESS RELEASE

IN RE: UREJU COMMUNITY ACCUSES NEPL, ELCREST E& P NIGERIA LIMITED, OML 40 GBETIOKUN FIELD OF SUBVERTING PIA, TO RESIST IMPOSITION OF PROJECT.

CORRECTING THE LIES AND MISINFORMATION: SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT.

The attention of Messer, Pa. Capt. Godwin Ekpeghantse, Boyo, (Chairman, Council of Elders), Pa. Apoloko S.E, Omajugho, ( Chairman, Kokolo/Esonoro Descendants), Pa. William Uwelle, (President General, Olero/Erefoluwa Descendants), Pa. Emmanuel Duakpenmi, (Secretary, Council of Elders), Pa. Rollison Atseyinku, (member), Pa. Felix Oruru Ayo (member), Pa. Moses Agbajor, (member), Pa. Jonathan Jemirieyigbe (member),Pa. Daniel Eyikimi Ediye (member), and Pa. Kaneye Penmanship (member) of Ureju Community has been drawn to the above inciting, malicious, misleading and false subject matter circulating on various social media platforms published by Fresh Angles International Newspaper on Friday, Ist of May, 2026 credited to the trio of Mr Thompson Adini Jarikpe, Mr Dickson Esimijemituale Thomas Ekpoto and Mr Omereyemi Rone Orugboh falsely claiming and purportedly speaking on behalf of Ureju Community as Olare-Aja (oldest man) and as members of a non existing, faceless, illegal and kangaroo Council of Elders of Ureju Community.

We wish to state unequivocally that the claim by the authors of the offensive and provocative publication that the management of NNPC E&P, ELCREST E&P Nigeria Limited subverted the provisions of the PIA 2021 in the incorporation and appointment of the member representing UREJU COMMUNITY on the Board of Trustee of AGURA HDT OML40 GBETIOKUN FIELD, and that there was imposition of projects on Ureju Community by the settlor is totally misleading, baseless, and false.

We wish to state emphatically without any form of ambiguity that the management of NNPC E&P Nigeria Limited, and ELCREST E&P Nigeria Limited engaged us as the legally recognized members of the Council of Elders of Ureju Community in close collaboration with the members of the Ureju Community Trust Executives led by Mr ENIYAN HENRY TONWE prior to, during and after the entire painstaking processes leading to the appointment of Board of Trustee members of AGURA HDT OML40 GBETIOKUN FIELD in the year 2022 and it's final incorporation by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) after it's approval for registration by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) in the year 2023.

It is noteworthy to state further that the composition of the membership of Board of Trustee of AGURA CDT OML40 was done in strict compliance with the extant provisions of the PIA. We were DULY CONSULTED as required by the PIA in conjunction with the Trust Executives of the community led by Mr ENIYAN HENRY TONWE. CVs of qualified indigenes of the community who met the selection criteria for appointment as BOT members from Ureju was forwarded by us to the settlor who is statutorily vested with the legal powers to select the best suitably qualified indigene for appointment as BOT members. We were reliably informed by the settlor that amongst the CVs of indigenes submitted, BARRISTER ADEROJOR OLOGHOJOBA JAMES, a bonafide indigene of the community was the most preferred person for the position. It was premised on this fact that he was RECOMMENDED by us in collaboration with the Mr ENIYAN HENRY TONWE led Trust Executives as far back as 2023 to the settlor as the BOT member representing UREJU COMMUNITY on the Board of Trustee of AGURA HCDT OML40 GBETIOKUN FIELD.

In full compliance with best global corporate practices and procedures as enshrined in the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020, the names of BARRISTER ADEROJOR OLOGHOJOBA JAMES representing UREJU COMMUNITY and that of Mr DAVID ETCHIE and Mr IREYE JONATHAN from Beresibi and Eghoro community respectively were published by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) on two National Newspapers in 2023 giving a statutory TWENTY EIGHT DAY (28) NOTICE FOR OBJECTIONS to any members of the communities comprised in the trust including the authors of this mischievous article and members of the general public to raise any objection to the published names of the trustees of AGURA CDT OML40 GBETIOKUN FIELD. This statutory 28 days NOTICE by the CAC came and has long elapsed since the year 2023 with NOBODY raising any objection whatsoever. It will therefore amount to sheer insanity for three men to wake up from their sleep in 2026 seeking unlawfully to overturn a process that was fully concluded in line with the spirit and letters of the PIA. No decent and serious society or organization will allow or tolerate such level of irresponsibility that may set a dangerous precedent that unscrupulous elements may take advantage of.

The false claim that there was imposition of projects by the management of NNPC E &P Nigeria Limited and ELCREST E&P Nigeria Limited on Ureju Community is yet another demonstration of the crass ignorance of the authors of the offensive publication on the workings of the PIA as it relates to the statutory procedures for submitting Host Communities Development Plans (HCDP). We made bold to say that all the capital projects including the SAND FILLING and SHORE PROTECTION (PILLING) which are the PRIORITY CAPITAL PROJECTS presented by us to the settlor are all community driven and products of the various engagements we had in the community with our men, women, youths and other stakeholders. While we were painstakingly doing all these in conjunction with the Mr ENIYAN HENRY TONWE led Trust Executives before transferring same through BARRISTER ADEROJOR OLOGHOJOBA JAMES, our BOT rep, the authors of the publication were busy snoring away on their beds somewhere.

While we agree that there exists a serious disagreement between us and the management of NNPC E &P Nigeria Limited over their SHARING MATRIX of the funds accruable to the three host communities in AGURA HCDT OML40 GBETIOKUN FIELD which we have completely rejected, we will never resort to self help in seeking redress and justice on the matter. We have commenced the legally laid down procedures under the PIA to make our opposition to the unacceptable sharing matrix known to them. We have views to make sure that every single entitlement accruable to Ureiu Community under the AGURA HCDT OML40 will be collected to develop our community. We call on all Ureju Community sons and daughters both at home and the diaspora to unite to speak with one voice with a view of taken back what rightly belongs to us.

In conclusion, we call on the management of NNPC E &P Nigeria Limited, ELCREST E&P Nigeria Limited, the NUPRC and other stakeholders to completely ignore the authors of the malicious article under references as they lack the authority to act or speak on behalf of Ureju Community.

We also call on the President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, the Executive Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Sheriff Oborowvore, the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Nigerian Police, the DSS, the Nigerian Army and other relevant security agencies to take special NOTICE of the constant threats by the authors of this mischievous article to make Ureju Community ungovernable if their inordinate quest to pilfer the resources of the community is not as asceded to. They should be held accountable for any breakdown of law and order in Ureju Community. UREJU community is open for business and development. Anyone who threatens to disrupt the peace of the land by promising to prevent our people from benefiting from the dividends of the PIA, shall incur the full wrath of the law no matter how highly placed such individuals may be.

NOBODY IS ABOVE THE LAW.

Thank you

God bless Ureju Community

God bless Warri Kingdom.

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