OML 42: Protesters Shutdown Operations in Egwa 2 Flow Station
Operations at the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42, operated by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company/Neconde AMT joint venture were brought to a standstill on Tuesday as people from Ogbe-ljoh Oil producing Communities in the Warri-South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, stormed Egwa 2 flow station "in protest against the allocation of only two out of the 19 Wards proposed for the Warri South West LGA by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in the recently concluded Ward delineation exercise".
The protesters, led by leaders from the communities, besieged the flow station calling on the chairman of INEC to, without further delay, address what they tagged "the deliberate injustice against the Ogbe-Ijoh Kingdom".
According to them, if the proposed report is not reviewed to rightly allocate the right number of Wards to Ogbe-ljoh, they will stop oil production in their domain.
Addressing journalists over the incident in Tekedor/Kusimi Community of Egwa 2 Oil Filed Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom, Leaders of Ogbe-ljoh Warri Kingdom, claimed that they are the most populated in Warri South-West just as they declared that they were "rejecting the two wards proposed" to them.
In a statement released to newsmen at the press briefing, signed by DCN Clement Tekedor, Chief Samson Oyimi, Hon Johnbull Aniyangha and host of others, the community leaders maintained that "Ogbe-ljoh Oil Producing Communities are host to the Ajuju/Batan oil field, Egwa 2 oil field and flow station, Odidi 1 and 2 oilfields, Ikremo manifold, Ugbanabubou field, flow stations, and NGC central node and as a result we will fight with what we have".
The statement partly reads, "Out of the nineteen (19) Registration Areas/Electoral Wards proposed for the Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, only two (2) was allocated to Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom, while nine (9) was allocated to Gbaramatu
Kingdom, five (5) to Itsekiri Communities, two (2) to Isaba Kingdom and one (1) to Diebiri Clan.
"Ogbe-ljoh Oil Producing Communities with existing poling units like Tekedor/Kusimi were deliberately removed and suppressed with fictitious communities included in their places in the map that
drawn up by INEC.
"Other Ogbe-ljoh oil producing communities suppressed are Kusimi, Eweregbene, Boubougbene, Dudueghagbene
and Dubelegbene. This was done with a view to make some Kingdoms like Gbaramatu Kingdom look big and make Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom look
smaller than its actual size.
"Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom by the records of the National Population Commission (NPC) has the highest population, landmass and settlements/communities in Warri South West Local Government Area, Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom settlements and communities constitute One Hundred and Sixteen (116) Localities (after removing Diebiri Clan) out of the Two Hundred and Ninety (290) Localities in the entire Warri South West Local Government in the National Population Commission (NPC) Housing and Locality Enumeration Report, 2023, which represents about 40% of the entire local government area.
"During the field work, INEC officials visited One Hundred and Thirty (130) Communities/Localities and identified Two Hundred and Fifty-One (251) points for creation of polling units in Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom. INEC in its Guidelines/Criteria for the fresh delineation released on the 21st of March, 2024 before the field work, stated that, population, geographical compactness and contiguity shall form the basis of the fresh delineation in line with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022. However, the interim report released by INEC runs contrary to all the Criteria contained in its Guidelines on the fresh delineation, especially
population which is the foundation for the fresh delineation of registration areas.
"It is on the basis of the foregoing that, we question how lINEC arrived at the decision to allocate only two (2) Registration areas/Electoral Wards to Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom and at the same time allocated nine and five Registration Areas/Electoral Wards to Gbaramatu Kingdom and Itsekiri Communities respectively, that are not populated than Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom? It is more worrisome that, the Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom and its Oil Producing Communities have separately written to INEC to address the gross and monumental injustice against us. However, some powerful persons
"We are aware that, these powerful officers of INEC are working with Some political stakeholders in Warri South West Local Government Area. We reject this act of wickedness and we shall use every means at our disposal to fight for justice. The Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom and its oil producing Communities will not and will never accept this injustice.s he Cok Consequent upon the foregoing, we hereby resolved and call on INEC
Chairman as follows:
"We totally reject INEC's proposal on the allocation of nineteen (19) registration areas electoral wards in Warri South West LGA to the respective communities/kingdoms.
"The Ogbe-ljoh Kingdom with the highest population, landmass and communities deserve eight (8) Registration Areas/Electoral Wards out of the Nineteen (19) Registration Areas in Warri South West Local Government Area in line with INEC's Guidelines/Criteria for the fresh delineation.
"We call on the Chairman of lNEC to address this act of gross and wicked injustice against the Ogbe-ljoh people of Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State,
"We shall be forced to take our destiny into our hands and cannot guarantee the further Flow of oil and gas from our communities, if the injustice against us is not addressed".
