Shell Petroleum Development Company-SPDC East is currently in dilemma over the refusal of Rivers state Commissioner For Chieftaincy and Community Affairs Barrister Sylvanus Nwankwo in inaugurating the Enwhe project and Abua/Odual Cluster Development Board and Community Trusts-CDB & CT. This is coming at a time when Shell Petroleum Development Company East had refused to accept recommendation of a Non Governmental Organization-NGO known as Sustainable Green Environmental Capacity Development Initiative by Honourable commissioner For Chieftaincy & Community Affairs Barrister Sylvanus Nwankwo which would have managed the Enwhe Project and Abuah/Odual Cluster Global Memorandum of Understanding–GMoU.
In view of this lingering matter, the communities affected in the matter on 19th of March, 2018 wrote a petition to His Excellency Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike titled “REFUSAL BY THE HON. COMMISSIONER FOR CHIEFTAINCY AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS TO INAUGURATE ABUA/ODUAL CLUSTER DEVELOPMENT BOARD-CBD AND VARIOUS COMMUNITIES TRUST CT AND THE ATTENDANT NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON ABUA/ODUAL LGA,SPDC LTD, PTHE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PROJECTS AND RIVES STATE GOVERNMENT: PLEASE DIRECT THE HON. ATTORNEY GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE , RIVERS STATE OR ANY OTHER RELEVANT MINISTRY TO INAUGUARATE THE ABUA/ODUAL CDB/CT”. And as you are reading this now no response had been received by the communities concerned and crises is brewing up that if not managed well by Governor Wike may lead to breach of peace and lost of human lives.
The Enwhe Project and Abua/Odual oil and gas projects have scope of over 10 to 15 crude Oil wells to be drilled. And this will have Flow Station, Gas Plants, Networks of Oil and gas Pipelines which will cross from Ainigboko, Owere-were, Ogbogolo in Ahoada West down to Gbarian in Bayelsa state. The project when completed will have a Helipad, internal Roads of over 20 kilometers to be built by Shell Petroleum Development Company—SPDC. And it is expected to generate over one thousand jobs for Abua/Odual youths which limit high rate of cultism and joblessness in the various communities affected by the projects. Apart this it will attract special Community development funds which will be yearly paid to the affected communities in Abua/Odual.
By our investigations www.towncrier.ng had uncovered alleged plans by the Rivers state Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs to insist on have his owned interest in the appointment of a non Governmental Organization known as Sustainable Green Environmental and Capacity Development Initiative supervise the affairs of the Enwhe Project and Abua/Odual Development Cluster Board which Shell Petroleum Development Company had said that it negates the principles and Procedures of engagement and methods of operations cum implementation of the Global Memorandum of Understanding-GmoU.
It was also gathered that on the 14th of February, 2018 the Special Adviser to the Governor on Conflict Resolutions, Sir Honourable Emmanuel Ekprikpo waded into the matter brought before him by Ainigboko community over composition of Community trust and substitution of the Community Trust list with a meeting held in the Office of Special Adviser to the Governor Of conflict resolutions as the Garrison Commander Nigeria Army, Division 6 Garrison, Director State Department Security Service Rivers state Command, Nigerian Security and Civil Defense Corps-Rivers state, Rivers state House of Assembly Committee on Chieftaincy and Community Affairs all were in attendance as the matter of Representation and nomination of the 10-Man Community Trust was quickly resolved.
It this resolution that resulted to the signing of the GMoU on 4th to 6th of April, 2018 and fixing of April 9th, 2018 as inauguration date which would have taken place at Port Harcourt Library by 10:00hours but to the surprise of Mr. Otonye Davies Acting General Manager Government and Community Relations East of Shell Petroleum Development Company the Honourable Commissioner For Chieftaincy and Community Affairs was said to have refused to Inaugurate the Abua/Odual GMoU Cluster slated on 9th April 2018, Etche-1 Cluster inauguration date yet to be fixed, Etche-2 Cluster fixed on 10th April, 2018 and Greater Port Harcourt Cluster date of inauguration was fixed on 25th of April, 2018 but all were suspended as the Commissioner claimed that he put up a Memo to the executive Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for his attention and approval but the file has not been attended to by His Excellency till date.
And this inaction of the Governor has put the entire communities concerned into state of confusion and anarchy and breach of peace surface in these communities as the multi-billion Naira Oil and Gas ENWHE Projects and Abua/Odual Cluster Development Board and that others in Etche -1 Cluster, Etche-2 Cluster and Greater Port Harcourt Cluster cannot be said to be of lesser value for peace and economic development in Rivers state especially now that electioneering campaign is inadvertently on-going in Rivers state as the opposition political Party All Progressive Congress-APC will see Governor Wike as being anti- development and the crises of cult related taking place in various communities may not be unconnected with his non-chalant attitude of bringing Direct Foreign Investors DFI into Rivers state.