As Shell Petroleum Development Ccompany, SPDC, and Cluster Community indigenes ended signing the Global Memorandum of Understanding (G-MOU), members of the said cluster communities, especially those among the ten-man committee, have started enticing people with unfulfilled promises in order to become the chairman of the said committee.
This medium was reliability informed that each of the cluster communities will have a ten-man committee which will subsequently be merged for the formation of an Exco which would have a chairman, secretary and others.
We gathered that among the 22 cluster communities, including Okrika and Ogu/Bolo Local Government Areas, few persons from one faction of Okrika, have allegedly been accused of embezzling N250m seven years ago.
Information that reached our news room has it that such persons of the said faction were warning up and lobbying others in order for them to become Exco members, so as to continue their looting.
Meanwhile, other cluster indigenes and the people of Ibaka, Ayika-Ama, among others were canvassing for one Barr. B. Alayemieka to become the chairman of the cluster communities.
It would be recalled that the Amanyanabo of Ogoloma, who is currently acting as the Regent of Okrika local government area, intervened, writing to SPDC to commence renovation of its oil and gas pipelines and pay same directly to the owners of such communities.
During the meeting of a three-man committee from the clusters and SPDC, some concerned indigenes bitterly expressed their chagrin over one faction of Okrika of claiming total ownership of all sources of drinking water and lands that do not belong to them at all.
The concerned indigenes maintained that: “Long ago our conscience had been sold. Certain self-imposed kings in Okrika had long betrayed the polity of oil/gas communities’ ownership. They claimed to be owners of all sources of drinking water and their surroundings, just for their selfish gains. They had their errand boys here and there. If they are asked around they would have asked SPDC not to go into any negotiation directly with the communities owners. Though we have been cheated by SPDC considering what was due for our Etche counterparts, we signed the MOU without going through it for fear of the unknown”, the concerned indigenes angrily expressed.
Meanwhile, some youths from the cluster communities have alleged that the G-MOU does not provide employment, empowerment and contractual supplies, among others, adding that revision of the GMOU after five years was the trickiest ideology as SPDC may not continue its renovation work after the five years. ####
By Bennett
