Agip’s Tebidaba Flow Station host community seeks Bayelsa govt intervention on rift

Nathan Tamarapreye, Yenagoa

The leadership of Olugboro, in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, hosts to Agip’s Tebidaba Flow Station has sought the intervention of the Bayelsa State Government to resolve a rift with the oil firm.

The request for intervention was contained in a letter dated January 6 and addressed to the Deputy Governor of Bayelsa.

According to the letter, the hosts of the facility operated by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NOAC) are Olugbobiri and Olugboro communities of Olodiama clan in Southern Ijaw LGA, Bayelsa.

Olugboboro community in the letter signed by Mr Wisdom Bazighe, Chairman, Ologboro Community Development Committee, Chief Ebilatei Berepigi traditional ruler of the area claimed that NOAOC had abdicated its social obligations.

They further claimed that the oil firm had in defiance of existing agreements to develop the two communities hosting the oil installation in the area side-lined Olugboboro in employment, development projects and community contracts.

The community said that the breach of a 1973 agreement with NAOC following the joint release of the 13.6 hectares land hosting the Flow station and several oil wells since the late 1990s had led to frosty relations which have kept degenerating.

The community noted that in about 48 years the oil firm has never employed anyone from Olugboboro, junior or senior, not even on a contract basis adding that such a development has alienated them as they lacked a sense of belonging.

“Another source of pain between Agip and the Olugboboro community is the company’s deliberate refusal to consider Olugboboro Indigenes for service contracts.

“As a host community, we are deprived of the community contracts quota that is standard practice, even the jobs reserved for host communities Community Content Guidelines have eluded us.

“Agip reserves certain categories of jobs for other host communities, but the reverse is the case for Olugboboro community.

“We have decided to tow this path of peaceful dialogue believing that you will wade in and call Agip to order and stop the situation from degenerating into chaos and violence with appears to be the only language Agip understands,” The letter read in part.

Officials of NAOC have yet to respond to a request for reaction.