Sylvester Idowu in Warri
The Itsekiri ethnic nationality in Delta State has thrown its weight behind the list of representatives of communities compiled by the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse 111 for the implementation of Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
Addressing newsmen after a meeting of some communities’ youth leaders yesterday, the Ologbotsere of Warri kingdom, Oma Eyewuoma, said at the commencement of the PIA, the king invited all the Itsekiri communities to make nominations.
He noted that the decision by the royal father was to ensure active involvement of all Itsekiri communities in line with the provisions of the Act, maintaining that the decision of the Olu of Warri superseded every other position as regards the implementation of the PIA in Iwereland.
“The Olu of Warri, at the start of the PIA, invited all the Itsekiri communities, the oil-producing communities to make nominations in order to be able to set up committees in line with the PIA Act. We will stand by the list Ogiame has put together; we will not allow anybody to add strange names into it.
“We can only stand by people who have clean slate and what the king accepted from the honest people from the various communities,” he said.
Eyewuoma, said the people had also resolved that the era where few individuals convert the money and assets of Iwereland to their personal properties was over.
“We will go after all our assets and money that a handful of persons have been converting to themselves to the detriment of the generality of the Itsekiri people. The wealth of the Itsekiri nation must go round the people,” he said.
Eyewuoma also warned that no group or organisation should alter what the people had compiled through the king and warned that any attempt to do otherwise, the people would “shut down all the flow stations and oil facilities in their domain.”
“Some persons recently threatened to shut down one flow station operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in Warri South-West Local Government.
“The Itsekiri people will not shut one flow station, we will shut all the flow stations and facilities, we have the human capacities to do it, should we be ignored,” the Ologbotsere said.
He said they were reaching out to oil and gas supervisory institutions, particularly the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to ensure that things were done within the ambit of the law.
