From Joseph Obukata (The New Diplomat’s N’Delta Correspondent)
Deputy Governor of Delta State, Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro says the Federal Government has promised to open discussions with oil communities in Delta State over threats to shutdown oil operations.
Several host communities had threatened to cripple the oil and gas industry in the Niger Delta to press home demands for marginal oil fields allotment and other concerns.
Otuaro spoke to newsmen on Thursday in Asaba on arrival from Abuja where he was said to have been invited, along with Petroleum Minister, Chief Timipre Sylva, to clarify issues of agitation by the communities to the Office of the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
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Osinbajo was quoted to have said that he does not “want the issues to escalate to bigger problems” hence the meeting.
According to Otuaro, “The FG has acknowledged, just as we should, that constructive engagement is the way out to deal with the issues. That is what we have agreed.”
“I’m just back from Abuja and like I told leaders of the oil bearing areas last week, the FG and State Government were only perfecting constructive plans for result-oriented engagement with the oil bearing areas”, Otuaro informed.
Expressing appreciation to the leadership of oil areas of Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Ndokwa for heeding appeals by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for calm and patience, Otuaro said: “Sustaining the values of peace and neighbourliness is imperative to the pursuit of our Stronger Delta agenda.
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“I want to therefore appreciate and thank the leadership of the oil bearing areas who have bought into this Peace Paradigm despite perceived neglect and pains.
“I assure that in the coming days soon after Sallah, we will be looking at issues with a view to addressing them via a platform that will be created”.
“Let me also appeal to all critical stakeholders, especially the oil companies not to stay aloof but to continually add value to what we are doing”, the Deputy Governor added.
It would be recalled that in the past few weeks, peaceful agitations by the Ijaw of Gbaramatu Kingdom and the Itsekiri, in Warri area, were followed by the Urhobo, the Isoko, Ijaw of Ogulagha and Ndokwa people in Delta State in quick succession.
The host communities had threatened to shut down oil operations if the federal government did not halt its fresh bid for Marginal Oil Fields to give them right of first refusal.
The last bid round for the Marginal Fields was said to have taken place in 2002. Ijaw and Itsekiri people had earlier demanded the commencement of the Gas Revolution Industrial Park and Gbaramatu Deep Sea Port projects known as Escravos Export Processing Zone, EPZ projects.
They also demanded the return of a Modular Floating Dockyard back to Okerenkoko,as well as commencement of work at the Escravos-Omadino and Ogheye-Koko road projects, amongst others.
