Community threatens to drag Chevron to court

chika ebuzor

October 15, 2016 11:11 AM

Militants in the oil rich Niger Delta have constantly accused oil companies of degrading their land.

Fishing communities in the Niger Delta badly hit by oil spills (This picture is for illustrative purposes).

The people of Okoyitoru community in

They are alleging that the oil giant’s oil exploration and drilling activities has destroyed their land.

Chevron’s Makaraba field, which produces 29,000 barrels of crude oil per day, is hosted by Okoyitoru and other communities.

The community chairman, Mr. Timi Oluba, through their lawyer, Omes Ogedegbe, said “The landmass of Okoyitoru is currently washing away and if same is left unattended, the community might go into extinction, hence the only remedy is for an urgent piling and sand filing to be carried out for our client and same must be commenced within 14 days from the date of your receipt of this letter, otherwise we shall be left with no other choice than to advise our client on all legal remedies available to them.

“Our instruction upon mandate from our clients as eminently presented by Hon. Timi Oluba, chairman of Okoyitoru Development Council and other executives of our clients, is to the effect that our client is an oil producing community within the ‘Makaraba field’ in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State where your company has continually carried out the business of oil exploration activities since the year 1973.

“That our client’s daily production ratio is placed at 29,000 barrels per day with a shortfall of only 11 barrel production of your 40,000 barrel per day actual capacity production. Despite the above daily production, our client has remained a land neglected, with a people marginalised and can best be described as a place where indeed the people sit on water without water to drink.

“If same is allowed to continue, it will surely create an unpleasant situation for everyone in the area as our clients are no longer afraid, but angry that haven written several letters to press home their demand in line with modern civilization none of these have been given a favourable response."

Militants in the oil rich Niger Delta have constantly accused oil companies of degrading their land and doing nothing to better the lives of people in the host communitites.

The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate (NDGJM) bombed a crude oil facility in Delta state on Thursday, October 13, 2016.

The militant group also threatened to attack personnel of oil companies operating in the Niger Delta.

chika ebuzor