Protesting Bayelsa communities threaten shutdown Agip Oil over distortion of GMOU
Aggrieved Isoko speaking communities in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, at the weekend protested and threatened to shut down the Samabiri/Buseni cluster location housing nine oil wells operated by the Nigerian Agip oil company (NAOC) over alleged refusal by the oil giant to keep to the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) reached with its host communities.
The communities protested, carrying placards with different inscriptions such as “Agip give us our link road, Agip obey the directive of the deputy governor on the surveillance matter and “we are tired of staying in darkness” among others to press home their demands.
A statement jointly signed by the three presidents’ general of the communities, Lovely Agwor for Abuetor, Anthony Okorie (Osekwenike) and Benjamin Aghoghovia (Osifo), stated that they resorted to embarking on a peaceful protest after all efforts to reach Agip for dialogue failed.
They said they had written several letters, seeking audience with the oil company through the Manager, Stakeholders’ Management and Community Development Division to address their demands but Agip had continued to rebuff the communities’ efforts to have a round table discourse on the way forward.
(New Telegraph)
