Senate C’tee to Summon NLNG Train 7 Contractors over Alleged Neglect of Rivers Community

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

The Senate Committee on Oil and Gas Host Community plans to summon the management of Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo (SCD) Joint Venture (JV) over the recent protest by the youth of Finima community in Rivers State that stopped construction work at the NLNG Train 7 site.
This was revealed at the weekend, when the technical team sent by the Senate Committee visited Finima to meet with the people and examine issues that led to the protest.

Leader of the team and Technical Adviser to the Senate Committee, Emine Tiyeinabeso expressed displeasure over the attitude of the management of SCD JV in not having a working document with the host community despite extant provisions as captured in the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).  
He noted that while the federal government was working hard to ensure that host communities benefit from projects and facilities in their domains, some contractors were working against such initiative.    

Speaking after visiting some facilities in Finima, Tiyeinabeso lamented: “It is heart-bleeding, it quite disheartening that in spite of the high level of awareness within the Niger Delta region and Nigeria at large, some International Oil Companies (IOCs) and contractors are finding it very difficult to have working documents with our host communities, to be sure that the communities are being carried along in their activities.

“The federal government is doing everything humanly possible to ensure that there is peace in every oil and gas host community, then the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors, who are servicing companies, that are to carry out the services of those IOCs are making things difficult for the communities.

“I went to Tecnimont at Port Harcourt refinery and I was so glad that there was a working document between Tecnimont SPA and the host communities and they are relating very well despite some challenges.
“But NLNG, a well renowned company in Nigeria, giving a job to Saipem, Daewoo and Chiyoda to carry out Train 7, it is the first of its kind that I am hearing that they are not having a working document with the host community. We are talking of host, not impacted community, nobody can deny that the fact that Finima is the host of NLNG”.

Tiyeinabeso who noted that the people of Finima are peace loving, pleaded with the youth of Finima to sheath their swords, assuring that the Senate Committee will look into the matter and invite the management of the SCD JV to explain the situation.
In his remarks, the Amadabo of Finima, HRH, Aseme-Alabo Dagogo Brown said it was by divine coincidence that the team visited the community after the protest by the youth, following many failed attempts to meet with the management of the SCD JV as the host community.

He clarified that Finima was not under Bonny but part of the big island, arguing that they were willing to share some of their entitlements with their brothers in the neighbourhood.
He said: “ We shouldn’t continue to be on the beggarly side but will continue to legitimately and passionately fight for what we deserve as a people.”