Ocean Surge: Bayelsa Community Protests, Threatens Oil Companies’ Operations

Olusegun Samuel in Yenagoa

There was a security breach in Sangana community of Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State following massive protest by hundreds of youths, men and women against the federal government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the seven oil companies operating in their domain over alleged neglect.

The massive protest which was carried out in the morning at the weekend was coming after series of letters to the federal government and the oil companies to quickly intervene in the incessant coastal erosion ravaging the kingdom failed to yield any positive results.

It took the quick intervention of the political leadership, chiefs, elders of the people of the Sangana kingdom to halt what would have resulted into  a break-down of law and order, which could have shut down multi-million dollars crude oil production in the area.

Our correspondents gathered that the protesters were provoked by the deliberate neglect by the FG and the oil companies with the rampaging coastal erosion swallowing up almost a kilometer of old Sangana which is ancestral base of the people.

The protesters, who were armed with placards with inscription such as “We Are a Peaceful People And Do Not Envisage a Break Down Of Law and Order”, “Save Sangana Kingdom From the Ravaging Sea Encroachment”, “We Produce The Black Oil of The Nation and Deserve Better” etc, cried out that the old Sangana is almost going to extinction if nothing is done to protect the city from the ravaging sea scourge.

According to the protesters, the federal government, it’s agency, the NDDC and the oil companies working in their community, which include the Consolidated Oil & Gas Company, Statoil, Shell ( H-Block), Chevron, NIGDEL, etc, have neglected the community.

They are aggrieved that the federal government, the NNPC has  failed to embark on a shore protection project to stop the erosion that has swallowed more than 50% of old Sangana cities. This was officially reported to the Bayelsa State Government, the NDDC, and the oil companies operating in Sangana kingdom.

The community lamented that despite their repeated protests and engagement with critical stakeholders, old Sangana and its communities are going extinct as houses, public goods such as primary schools, rural electrification, farmland has all been lost to the sea waves.

One of the protesters said: “Properties and goods worth millions of naira have been lost through the ravaging erosion that has kept thousands of people homeless.”

The Community Development Chairman of Sangana kingdom, Mr. Preboye Reuben, said the federal government, NDDC and its host oil companies have refused to perform their corporate social responsibility in Sangana kingdom where it had been extracting oil for the past three decades.

He said: “It is 25 years now since the NNPC and its multinational oil companies started crude oil production, and yet, the Nigerian state has yet to show that it honours  and recognises where the company has continued to extract crude oil  for four decades. He lamented that the primary school of his alma mater, his father and grandfathers Houses are all under water.

“We are calling on Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, the MD of NDDC, to save a sister community Sangana Bayelsa State. In 2009, NDDC under the leadership of former MD Mr Timi Alaibe, awarded shore protection in Sangana but it was abandoned after 30% completion in 2010.

“Now, we have another Bayelsa man at the helm of affairs in NDDC.  Letters in this regard has been written to the new NDDC management but to no avail.”

He stressed that with the current reality of coastal erosion in the area, Sangana kingdom will be no more in the next ten years.

He called on both the federal government, NDDC and the oil companies working in the area to as a matter of urgent public importance come to the aid of the communities.

“It is baffling that Chevron has operated in our kingdom for over 47years, while Conoil, Statoil, First E&P, Shell H- Bloc, Nigdel have explored our resources for 25years and less. Yet, they abandoned us”

Also speaking, the King of Moko ama, Sangana kingdom, Moses Theophilus, said they were tired of writing letters to official quarters of government seeking intervention without any fruitful response.

He stated, “And today, we are saying we are tired after writing over 30 letters to various departments of government Agency like the NDDC, with oil companies operating in the area.