The country’s largest oil-producing company, the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), has been given a 30-day ultimatum by the Nembe community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to shut down its operations for failing to abide by the terms of General Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) they reached since last year.
The ultimatum was handed down yesterday by Chief Nengi James, the Chairman of the Oil and Gas Committee of the Nembe community during an enlarged meeting with officials of Shell and stakeholders of the community in Yenagoa.
Besides, the community also warned that the people would resist any attempt by the oil company to sell its facilities within their domain without proper consultations with the Amanyanabo of Nembe, Chief Edmund Dakoru, and his people, saying they reserved the right have a say in the disposal of any property owned by Shell within their community.
At the meeting which also had in attendance the alternate Chairman of the Nembe Chiefs Council, Mr. Solomon Ockiya, and Chairman of Nembe City Development Foundation and former Commissioner of Environment, Dr. Godson Omubo-Dede, James lamented that it was unfortunate that Shell had failed to abide by the GMoU after the expiration of the former last year.
“As a community, we are giving SPDC 30 days to pay the GMoU fund accrued to the community since last year or face immediate shut down of all its facilities within our territories. They should stop using the divestment as a deliberate ploy to deny us our privileges while they are still exploring oil within the shores of our communities, we cannot be deceived,” he said.
Other demands by the community include provision of portable water and electricity generating plant for Nembe Creek communities and settlements pending the completion of the Independent Power Plant being installed by the SPDC for the entire Kingdom, and total mop up of oil spill sites and environmental remediation.
However, the community thanked SPDC for partnering the Niger Delat Development Commission (NDDC) on the Ogbia-Nembe road.
