Delegates representing the Niger Delta and other oil producing states at the National Conference have reveal plan by the oil producing area to shut down oil production in the region over what they called signs of earthquake already threatening the area.
One of them who represents the region, and a former governor of Bayelsa State, Diepreye Alamieseigha, who spoke the mind of his colleagues when he called for point of data at the plenary on Monday, told that the leadership of oil communities in the Niger Delta visited him at the weekend and have asked him to deliver the information to the confab leadership.
Alamiesegha said: “The leadership of oil producing communities visited me at the weekend and have asked me to convey this information to the management and the delegates of this conference, that in the past 58 years, a minimum of 1.8 to 2 million barrels of crude oil had been extracted from their land on daily basis.
“The aftereffects is that they have started experiencing earth movements in their environment and there is fear that something 'hazard' is going to occur such as earthquake or tsunami very soon in their land”.
Continuing, Alamiesiegha told the delegates that in other parts of the globe where oil is being exploited, when a quantity of oil is extracted, liquid of same volume is always injected to fill the space.
“In other jurisdictions, when this quantity of oil is removed, liquid of same gravity is being injected to equalise or stabilise the geology of the area.
“In recent times, there was gas flaring off the coast of Balyesa for over a month, the heat was so much that all the villagers were evacuated. For one month the oil companies could not clamp the gas flaring.
“So, they fear that they don’t have the capacity to withstand any earthquake in that environment and that I should inform you all, that they may take the option, I repeat, they will take the option of shutting down oil production in those areas till concrete agreement or arrangements is made with the oil companies to warrant the injection of stabilising the environment.”
But in a swift response, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and delegate representing Civil Society Groups, Femi Falana, who also moved a point of information, said the government of Nigeria has ran into problems looking for buyers of the crude oil as United States of America, who was the major buyer of Nigeria’s crude oil has stopped buying from Nigeria, saying U.S. has got alternative to Nigeria’s crude.
He added, “very soon there will not be buyers of our oil again. The government of Nigeria has run into trouble of who will buy our oil because America has got an alternative.
“Angola has increased their oil production. Europe is experiencing oil glut. India that has been begging us is now turning to Asia. Both Kenya and Ghana have struck oil,” Falana stated.
In his own contribution, a delegate representing the South West geo-political zone, Bashorun Sheinde Arogbofa, drew the attention of the delegates to the daily killing of people in Ondo State where he comes from, as result of bad roads in the area which he said, had claimed many lives.
He said the area urgently needs the attention of the conference.
He cited the terrible state of Iware Oke-oka road as example, which he said, claimed lives daily.
“Our prayer is that this conference will be kind enough to call the attention of the Federal Government to this carnage,” he stated.
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