Rivers Communities Threaten to Shutdown NLNG Train 7 Project

Blessing Ibunge

Host communities of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas, NLNG, Train 7 in Orashi area of Rivers State have threatened to shut down the project if the communities are not properly consulted.

The communities on the platform of Ekpeye Oil and Gas Pipeline Host Communities, vowed to stop the commencement of the project if the federal government and companies involved failed to duly consult them.

They threatened a show down with multinationals operating in their area unless the companies addressed their challenges.

The group spoke yesterday, during a briefing at Ahoada, Rivers State.

The communities claimed that the international oil companies, (IOCs), operating in their area have impoverished them for too long hence the need to address their plights.

The National Chairman of EOGPHC, Chidi Idogini, said it was wrong that federal government and the NLNG were only dealing with Bonny communities in the Train 7 project, regretting that attention had not been given to Ekpeye people where the gas would be drilled.

Idogini stated that attention ought to have been given to Ekpeye communities where the raw material would be gotten than Bonny where only a terminal is being sited.

He vowed that the people would not allow the project to commence if FG and NLNG did not consult and give them their rights, adding that employment quota should be given to the Ekpeye people.

Idogini said: “NLNG cannot start Train 7 contract without involving the Ekpeye nation, because the train 7 is totally a business that has to do with Ekpeye and partly Ogba communities.

“This train 7 is coming from Ekpeye so it is expedient for them to come and discuss with us because we will not allow any company to come to Ekpeye land to do the drilling without due consultation and involvement.

“Go to Bonny that is just a transmission center and see what is happening there, but here where it will be drilled, nothing. We are calling on every well-meaning sons and daughters of Ekpeye to take it on themselves. We are championing the interest of Ekpeye people where some person will benefit.

“NLNG cannot employ 12,000 persons in Bonny and feel that Ekpeye people will be happy. That will never happen. They must come here. If they feel they want to balkanize Ekpeye, they want to come in and feed fat, that era has gone.

“We are calling on the governor to take it as a matter of utmost urgency to talk to the IOCs because they are trying to introduce what is known as divide and rule method and we will not accept that.”