Firstbank Microfinance Bank and Optimal Healthcare Limited are bringing healthcare delivery to people’s doorsteps at Alagbado, a Lagos suburb for N200. OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA reports
With N200 per month, residents of Alagbado, a Lagos suburb, can now enjoy health insurance , courtesy of Firstbank Microfinance Bank and Optimal Healthcare Limited.
The Community Health Insurance Scheme (CHIS) will cover outpatients, family health service, such as obstetrics, child welfare services, health education classes, diet nutrition demonstration and weight loss/monitoring classes; preventive health and breast/ cervical cancer screenings.
A large crowd of motorcycle riders, welders, tailors, housewives, members of the Community Development Association (CDA), Council of Baale led by the Chairman, Chief Najim Ajolojuota and Chief Taofik Oje and representatives of schools attended the initiative’s launch in Alagbado.
FBN MFB Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer Mrs Pauline Nsa said her bank won’t watch people fall ill, and approach for money to take care of themselves. But rather, it will assist people to access quality healthcare, so that they can come and do business with the bank.
According to her, a principal beneficiary is expected to open an account with the FBN MFB from which a monthly deduction (capitation) of N00 per head monthly shall be deducted and the enrollee shall enjoy a wide range of primary healthcare services at the Optimal Medicare Centre, located within this Alagbado community for the next 12 months.
“Normally, the payment of an NHIS approved capitation of N750 per enrollee per month may be too high for the typical family of father, mother and kids; and that is why there is low uptake so far. To help individuals and families cross the hurdle of payment of the capitation of N750, we are introducing a subsidy of N550/head/month.”
She said her organisation shall provide the subsidy by a combination of donors and sponsors brought together by a common need and desire for them to fulfill their corporate social responsibility to the community, “we are pleased that FBN MFB is a major provider of the subsidy for this scheme, we are simply after well being, so healthy people can do business with us”, said Mrs Nsa.
Optimal Healthcare Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Dr Femi Olaleye said his outfit was ready to provide access to emergency medical care with no need for huge deposit; free medical checks; access to free malaria treatments and special gifts for deliveries. It is also good to know that there will be access to credit and microfinance loans for small business investments, and even to pay for hospital bills for treatments, for diseases not covered by the health insurance scheme.
Dr Olaleye said his hospital believes the success of any inclusive healthcare model is dependent on meeting the funding gap, required to cater for the members of the society, who may not be able to pay significantly reduced tariffs and capitations that maybe asked them to pay, “In our case here at Alagbado, it is just N200 per head per month”, said Dr Olaleye.
The Board of Trustees (BOT) are Segun Ojoade a Manager FBN MFB, Chinwe Onwuzwalo, Pastor Ifedayo Olusola as chairman, Pastor Godwin Oluwabori and Muideen Onipede.
Nasarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura has condemned the attack on Tse-Ikpur community in Logo Local Government Area of Benue State.
The governor, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Ahmed Tukur, described the attack as unwarranted.
He urged the perpetrators to desist, saying government should be allowed to settle down to give the people the dividends of democracy.
Al-Makura advocated increased surveillance along border communities by security agencies and the public, to avoid the spread of the attack to neighbouring communities and states.
He said Nasarawa was worried by the loss of life and property, adding that all hands must be on deck to stop the violence.
The governor advised concerned parties and individuals involved in disputes to desist from using violent means to settle disputes, noting that killings and destruction of belongings would not solve the problem.
He suggested a dialogue and constitutional means of resolving differences, enjoining the people to live together in peace and harmony.
Al-Makura said as neighbours to Benue State, the people and government of Nasarawa shared in their grief and warned those behind the attack to desist.
Members of the Oro-Ago community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State have accused the police of allegedly killing one woman and arresting five men in the community three days ago.
Bolatito Balogun was alleged to have been shot by the police.
The community alleged that the police headquarters in Abuja supported Fulani herdsmen to attack its members and destroy its farmlands.
Two months ago, a bloody clash broke out between Fulani herdsmen and members of the community at the market square, leading to the death of two.
Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital yesterday, the President of Oro-Ago Development Union (ODU), Chief Richard, alleged that another woman, Tope Ologemo, allegedly hit by the police bullet, was recuperating in hospital.
He said six of the community members arrested and taken to Abuja in connection with the April 30th bloody fracas, are in police custody.
Richard urged Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase to fish out the culprits.
Said he: “A more provocative and pathetic incident occurred on June 12. Another set of police officers, just like those from the IGP office, Abuja, in April, fully armed, stormed the community at 7am and shot indiscriminately, arresting our people.
“The action was contrary to what they told our monarch, Oba Johnson O. Dada, the previous day that they were in the community on a peace mission to visit the places where the incident occurred and the place where Seriki Bamo, who was the complainant to the office of the IGP in the first incident, was killed about a week ago.
“The indiscriminate shooting led to our people running helter-skelter and scampering for safety. The police went away with at least five of our men. We say five because some people are still missing. Their whereabouts is unknown. The names of the five we can identify are Oladele Ponle, Chief Asanlu Salawu, Karimu Aremu, Rasaki Illa and Tunde Abolaji.
“Unfolding developments show that the police are in cahoots with the Bororo. This is because on that Friday, two of our men were tied down on their farmlands by the Bororo, who told them that the police were coming from Abuja to arrest them and other members of the community and that they would be killed.
“Our monarch has written two letters to the police commissioner and the director of the Department of State Service (DSS) for their intervention because we don’t want to take the law into our hands. But, sadly, there has been no response from the duo.
“We therefore, appeal to the IGP to order the release of our men in police detention in Abuja because it is trite law for our people, acting on self-defence, to be caged while the Bororo, who perpetrated the fracas, are walking freely on the streets.”
Police spokesman Ajayi Okasanmi said the case is being investigated by the force headquarters.
Stakeholders of Abaomege Community, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have condemned the killing of a French tourist, Nagnan Denis, in the area. They described the killing as wicked and barbaric, even as they urged security agents to arrest the perpetrators.
In a communiqué by Zaccues Ifeuwabundidi, Chief Charles Igwe and Mr. Gregory Onwe, issued at the end of their emergency meeting, the stakeholders lamented that the incident had damaged the peace in the community.
They said the incident stained Ebonyi State globally and called on the government to strengthen security to checkmate hoodlums.
The stakeholders, who promised to assist the security agents in their investigations, urged the police to stop unnecessary arrests to douse tension in the community.
Unknown gunmen last Tuesday killed Nagnan Denis in Ozara forest and left his wife injured.
For some, Orozo community may end with a bitter taste in the mouth, the same way the Maitama District turned out for a Nigerian-born visitor from America back in the 80s.
The visiting lady, so the story goes, was in Abuja hoping to invest in the new federal capital. She had a drive round town, zooming through the Maitama district which, of course, had no Transcorp Hilton at the time and was far from what it is now.
There wasn’t much to the area, either vast, empty land or boasting local settlements of indigenous people. It was even said that the present location where the Hilton is situated had a small local bar where locals hung out for a drink of locally brewed beer called burukutu.
She saw the prospects and told her husband who was riding with her that the area was good fro investment and that she would like to buy land there.
The man talked her out of it, telling her that it was a local place that would amount to nothing.
She travelled back without investing in Maitama. Years later, she returned to the same location and wept.
Orozo is probably another Maitama in the making, but do people see it as such?
Twenty years ago, most of the communities and satellite towns that have grown to big cities today were just small struggling communities.
A resident of Kubwa, Raphael John explained what the settlement used to be like.
“I have been in Kubwa since 1990, Kubwa was nothing like it is today. In those days, the indigenous houses were scattered all over Kubwa; in fact a Fulani hamlet used to be in the middle of the road joining Kubwa and Dutse, where the present Living Faith Church in Dutse is now, and we used to go there to buy fura but today things have changed.”
Some believe that places like Orozo, if well developed, could help solve the country’s housing deficits.
Kingsley Ode, a resident of Nyanya, said, “During the [Alhaji Shehu] Shagari era, he tried to deal with the housing deficit in the country at that time by building lowcost and cheap houses for low income earners. What Nigerians need is not huge and expensive mansions but normal houses like those lowcost houses that will be affordable for the masses, most of the houses in this high-brow parts of Abuja are too expensive.”
Orozo, presently the fastest growing community in Abuja, is located after Nyanya, Karu and Jikwoyi. It is partly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and partly in Nasarawa State but unless you are a surveyor or are aware of the demarcation, you will not be able to tell the difference because of the level of development that is taking over the once small community.
Various estates like the Atlanto Villa Estate, Orozo Mass Housing, Catholic Church Estate, Navy Estate and others have sprung up in the area.
The Atlanto Investment Ultra Modern market, the only market situated in the middle of all the estates, creates business and marketing opportunities for residents trooping into this new community.
Apart from the number of estates, the government has been allocating lands to individuals in Orozo district and although many of those allocated are beginning to build and move over to the area, a lot of them say that they are still waiting for others to come before they move over there.
To make life easier, estates like the Atlanto Villa do not only sell completed houses but also sell land within the estate for one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedroom bungalow spaces for people to build.
The ultra modern market which is quite spacious and with all the modern facilities found in all Abuja ultra modern markets is also built in bungalow forms which the developers said was for the convenience of everyone, including the aged, handicapped and for individual maintenance.
Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer Atlanto Investment and Property Ltd. Isaac Agbanwu said that Orozo is fast developing and is going to be a beautiful place, comparable to other high-brow communities in Abuja in a few years.
He also said, “Orozo, as a matter of fact, is very close to town; in my assessment, what is demarcating Orozo and Garki is just the hill, the highrise that is running from Abacha Barracks to Karshi; when this becomes noticed by the government, a government can just wake up and create a tunnel and that will be all, if it happens, within five minutes, you will be in Garki.
“Instead having to travel from Jikwoyi and the rest, with the new road to Apo, you just cut out somewhere and will be finding yourself in the Apo roundabout, it’s a very short distance. The proliferation of estates now in Orozo is a wonderful thing, there are so many estates coming up here and of course there is an approved market which is the Atlanto Investment Market that is ongoing which will serve the community, so as a matter of fact, Orozo is fast developing and is going to be a wonderful place in a few years to come.”
Asked the reason for the high cost of housing and abandoned houses in Abuja, Agbanwu said that as a developer, one has to be aware of the price of building materials in the market because high cost of building will definitely lead to high cost to the final consumers.
“Most of the estates around here, if you are buying their house and paying immediately, 3 bedrooms is 13 millioný.
“The major problem with the housing schemes being embarked on in Abuja is the fact that it is being embarked upon by people who are big and got money from big sources, their thoughts and abilities are high, for instance somebody will go and build a four bedroom duplex along airport road for example and they will tell you N75 million, N100m.
“It is the reason for the huge number of empty estates in Abuja, maybe you are working somewhere and are lucky to hitý money in billions and trillions, you decide not to lodge it in a bank but push it, such projects they will also understand how big you are and your source so the cost that they will give to you for construction will be high, where you are suppose to use N1m to build, they can hike it to N3m, so imagine a man who does not understand property and development that spends for example N5m to develop, he will of course want to make a gain of at least N1m which is the reason for the high price in real estate business.
“But if it is something you do genuinely from your mind so that people can own houses and you also understand the system and not just coming into it because you simply see it as a business, in the aspect of knowing the real price for gravel, cement, the real amount needed to build a two bedroom flat, if you have the understanding without allowing people give you exorbitant prices it will not affect the final consumers, so if the cost of production is high, definitely the consuming cost also will be high.
“So you see big and beautiful houses with no one inside while the masses are still looking for housesý, if the government had continued the way they started by giving land to people, with the approval to build their houses, it would have reduced the problem of housing in Nigeria.”
The FCT administration at a point began creating a road that will run from Orozo and come out in Apo, which on a normal day would have hastened the development of the area but so far the road is yet to be completed and residents of Orozo are hopeful that if the project is revisted and completed by the incoming administration, it will reduce the traffic gridlock always witnessed on the Nyanya/Maraba road and make life easy for them.
Resident of Orozo, Michael Obi said, “The resean why most people are afraid of this area is because of the terrible traffic witnessed around Nyanya and Karu Junctions but the new road that is being created from here to Apo will actually make the journey faster, if only the new government will finish the road, more people will want to relocate to Orozo and the centre and other parts of Abuja will be decongested because with the level at which developers and private owners are building now in Orozo, this place will not be known in the next two years.”
One of the reasons for daily influx of people into Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is to enhance their well-being. While a few have seemingly realised their dreams, others are still hoping and praying that one day, all will be well.
The FCT is made up of six satellite towns which have become the abode for many. Byazhin Across is a community in Kubwa Council Area in the FCT. It is thickly populated suburb.
Located at the ends of Kubwa, Byazhin Across is a fast-growing community as many people move into it on daily basis. Residents of this community are mainly those who cannot afford the expensive accommodation in other areas of Kubwa.
Unfortunately, the infrastructural development of the community does not commensurate with its dense population. Byazhin Across community represents squalor and underdevelopment. It is a community that lacks social amenities such as pipe-borne water, regular electricity and tarred roads.
Every household owns an electricity generating set to avoid living in the dark. The residents also provide water for themselves through sinking of boreholes. Those who could not afford boreholes make use of a local river to serve their water needs. Some residents who spoke to Abuja Review recounted the awful experiences they have been going through in Byazhin Across.
Mrs. Happiness lives in a self-contain with her husband and three children. She told our correspondent that she pays N80, 000 as rent per year. She complained about lack of power supply and absense of pipe-borne water.
She said: “We just had electricity few weeks ago. If you look around, you will still see new electric poles, but the problem is we hardly get electricity. It comes like two hours in two days.”
Mrs. Happiness also stated that the area is prone to security breach as properties get stolen whenever people are not around. She, however, urged the incoming government to come to the community’s aid by providing basic amenities such as electricity and pipe borne water.
Another resident, Mr. Christopher, who hails from Cross River State expressed displeasure over what he called lack of necessities of life in the community. “I stay in a single room apartment here in Byazhin Across, and one of the major challenges for me is poor road network. From here to the express road costs N150 to and from. Towards the evening, it costs between N200 and N250 most times. The dust from the road affects my health a lot and there is hardly electricity supply to the community to enable us to do our jobs.
“I have a small generator but when there is fuel scarcity, I abandon my work and jobs until when it’s available,” he said.
He also said he rely solely on borehole and purchase water from cart pushers popularly called ‘Mai Ruwa’ at N250 per cart. Mr. Christopher calls on the incoming government to effect a gradual change on all the social needs of the community.
“I believe so much in the ability of the incoming government because I know they have our interest at heart. I would want them to bring the change into this community by gradually meeting our needs and I think constant electricity is a major need,” he said.
Mr. Turheeb lives in a one bedroom flat and pays N130, 000 per year. He said their major challenges are water and electricity. He stated that electricity is rationed and when it’s his turn, he rarely gets electricity.
“Light is a major challenge and it is one day on one day off. Sometimes when it is our turn, we do not get it,” he said.
Another resident, Mrs. Joseph, a petty trader, complained about the road and poor electricity supply. She noted that the road is often unusable during the rainy season.
“During rainy season, our road is very bad. There is no gutter, even people don’t like coming to this area because of the bad nature of the road when rain falls. We don’t have light and we buy water from borehole operators. A 25 litre gallon is N15 and 20 litre paint bucket is N10. It is expensive and I want government to do something about it; we are really suffering here,” she said.
Residents of Byazhin Across are hoping that the Federal Government will heed to their call and reduce the hardship they go through by providing the much-needed social amenities that will help in developing their community.
The National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) power line project from Enugu to Akwa Ibom states which is expected to provide constant power in almost three states is under threat by the protest of the Nnono Oboro community where the line is expected to pass.
Nnono Oboro community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State is claiming that the contractor handling the project has not paid them adequate compensation to those whose houses are on the right of way of the project and marked for demolition.
The members of the community, including men, women and youths who carried placards to protest the situation by the NIPP contractor, called on the Federal Government to intervene to forestall possible breakdown of law and order.
The spokesman of the community who doubles as the youth leader, Anthony Chinedu, told our correspondent at Nnono that: “Our protest was not against the project, which he said was borne out of government’s good intention and for development.
Chinedu said though the project is expected to bring even development, “which we are not against but against the nonchalant attitude of the NIPP contractor who has ordered the helpless villagers to vacate their homes within two weeks”.
He said the contractor created fear among the people by intimidating them with army personnel who they alleged patrol the community every day to ensure that the people do not ask for their rights.
In his speech, the chairman of Oboro Clan Council of Traditional Rulers, King Larry Ogbonnaya Agwu, corroborated Chinedu’s views; that they were not against the project, noting that if the contractor did not have enough money to pay compensation, he should have diverted the transmission line away from people’s homes.
King Agwu lamented that rather than direct the power transmission line through the forest, he decided to run it through the community where he would collect money for compensation and not pay same to the affected families.
The traditional rulers said: “What do they want these old people to do, to go and live in the bush? Are we going to enjoy the light in our graves, and instead they are using army to intimidate us.”
However, the traditional ruler called on the Federal Government to come to their rescue by reviewing the contract so that adequate compensation would be paid to members of the community to enable them to get alternative accommodation.
Some of the people, whose houses are affected by the project said the funds they are being given are not enough to buy a piece of land, let alone build a house. Others said they are being given two weeks to vacate from their ancestral homes.
A 76-year-old Madam Nwegeruo Chimbuo said they were given two weeks to vacate their homes even when compensation had not been paid. Elder Ukanna Ogbonna and Peter Ekpemiro said the money they were paid as compensation was too small to buy a piece of land let alone build a house.
At the work camp of the NIPP, some military personnel said they were there on official duty to provide security for the workers. But the workers refused to talk to the press, saying they do not have the authority to speak to the press on the matter.
Some of the placards the protesting community members carried read: “We are homeless, settle us”, “Stop using the military to intimidate us”, and “Demolition without compensation”.
The Nnono Oboro community in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State has threatened to stop the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) from Enugu to Akwa Ibom State.
The power line runs through Nnono Oboro.
The community said the contractor did not pay adequate compensation to the owners of the houses marked for demolition.
They called on the Federal Government to intervene to forestall a possible breakdown of law and order.
A community youth leader, Anthony Chinedu told The Nation that their protest was not against the project, which he said was borne out of government’s good intention.
“We are not against the project, but against the nonchalant attitude of the NIPP contractor, who ordered villagers to vacate their homes within two weeks,” Chinedu said.
Chairman of Oboro Council of Traditional Rulers Larry Ogbonnaya Agwu corroborated Chinedu’s stand.
He lamented that the contractor ran the power line through the community, instead of the bush, and refused to pay compensation to affected families.
“What do they want these old people to do, to go live in the bush? Are we going to enjoy the light in our graves? They also intimidate us with soldiers.”
At the work camp of the NIPP, the soldiers said they were there on official duty to provide security for the workers. The workers refused to comment, saying they have no authority to speak on the matter.
The project, when completed, is expected to provide constant power to about three states
Over 18 months after oil spills from the facilities of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and fire outbreak ravaged Ikara in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, the people of the Itsekiri community are still waiting for succour, writes SHOLA O’NEIL
Over 18 months after several crude oil spills from the facilities of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) and fire outbreak ravaged Ikara, Ajatiton and Kolokolo communities in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, the people of Ikara, an Itsekiri community, are still waiting for the management of the national oil firm and the National Oil Spill Detection and Remediation Agency (NOSDRA) to act on the spill.
It was learnt that the management of NPDC, a subsidiary of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is resolute that it would neither negotiate with nor pay compensation to the communities, due to an extant policy of not paying for spills caused by “3rd Party Interference”.
•Area impacted by spills in 2014
The people of Ikara, one of the affected communities told Niger Delta Report that the spills, which occurred from late 2013 through January and February of 2014, wreaked untold havoc on the environment and ecology of their land. They said resulting fire from the spills later ravaged the forests, fish ponds and farmlands around the area, leaving in its wake gale of destruction, hunger and poverty.
It was learnt that a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) carried out by NOSDRA and other stakeholders on January 6, 2014, over one month after the first incident, recommended the immediate repair of the pipeline, environmental assessment, clean up and post-clean-up investigation of the impacted areas.
Our findings, collaborated by documents from NOSDRA and other agencies, revealed that the repair of the damaged pipeline was not properly done. One of the independent valuers said, “It was the clamps placed to contain the initial damage that ruptured and led to at least two other spills in the proceeding months.”
Just one month after, on February 18, 2014, there was another report of spillage from the NPDC’s Oziengbe/Oredo 6″ Export pipeline at Ikara swamps. Equipment failure and failed clamp was indicated as the cause of the spill.
The JIV which led to the revelation was carried out on March 13, nearly one month after, contrary to the NOSDRA regulation, which recommended that such investigation should be done within 72 hours (three days) after the spill is reported.
The investigation nonetheless identified oil stains on vegetation, fishing nets, dead floating fishes and withering vegetation as the nature of impact of the spill. Properties affected were listed as crops, fish farm and ponds and fishing nets, among others.
The document signed on behalf of the agency by Adanu Charles and I A Jonathan, remarked that the spill was caused by a previously clamped section of the pipeline, which was leaking and recommended that immediate repair of the facilities be effected. “NPDC should intensify surveillance.”
Two weeks after the visit, a fire outbreak occurred on 27/03/14 at the same facility and around the same area. The impacted areas were delineated as within and outside the company’s ROW (Right of Way). A JIV, three days later remarked that “The cause of the fire incident is not known”. The report though conceded that “crude oil was all over the area before the incident, which was not cleaned-up.”
NPDC was asked to “Commence immediate cleanup and remediation of the impacted area”, by NOSDRA’s Olawumi Oladapo, who led the team along with NPDC and community representatives.
Just a month later, on 23/04/14, there was yet another spill from a “failed clamp” on the 6″ pipeline. The remark on the JIV report, which was obtained by NDR read: “As at the time of visit, the crude oil was seeping out of the failed clamp.”
Although it noted that the spill was still within the confines of the firm’s ROW, the JIV report advised that “NPDC should respond to the spill immediately to prevent the oil from moving out of the ROW”. It also urged the company to do “immediate clean-up of the impacted area”.
One of the community leaders, Chief John Eyejamuro, told our reporter in a telephone chat that the company’s perceived “irresponsibility has led to suffering and hardship in the community”. He accused the company of neglecting the impacted community and shirking its responsibilities to them.
But NPDC source said the community members were responsible for the spill through sabotage of the company’s facilities because they wanted to be compensated.
An environmental consulting and engineering services firm engaged by the communities, Fredorosa Casolini Limited, petitioned the Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Abuja, urging for urgent intervention of the House to save the people of Ikara and other impacted areas.
The petition, dated 9th May, 2014 was signed by Eyimofe Brown-Dibofun. It decried “The consequences of the unwholesome environmental practices by the NPDC”, which he said resulted in “continuous pollution of surface and underground water which is the source of drinking water for the people; the unending pollution and degradation of rivers and creeks, mangrove and vegetation leading to a depletion of its flora and fauna.
The consultant also lamented the non-completion of Post-Spill Impact Assessment (PSIA), which usually ends in the damage assessment of resources and properties. “We are to mention that we are also disturbed that the mandatory PSIA, which must come before cleanup and remediation has not been done and yet the polluter (NPDC) is eager to clean-up the polluted sites and the waterways in order to obliterate scientific and visual evidence required for this matter.”
The petition demanded that NPDC proceed to Ikara and other communities with stakeholders for the PSIA and Post-fire Impact Assessment of forest and resources as well as the cleanup and remediation work in the impacted area.
“NPDC must supply adequate relief materials (foodstuffs, water and medication) to be determined by NOSDRA to assuage the sufferings of the people occas0ioned by the oil spill.”
Several months after the 2013 spill, NPDC engaged the service of Mytec Links International Limited for the cleanup, remediation and restoration of the impacted areas. The company mobilized to sight in August 2014.
Apparently unimpressed with the processes leading to the planned cleanup, FREDOROSA, on December 30, 2014, wrote to NOSDRA’s Director General, Sir Peter Idabor, reminding the agency of the legal imperative to ensure the PSIA and Post Impact Assessment for Ikara” are done.
The letter stated that “It is a legal imperative that NOSDRA, as an Agency of the Federal Ministry of Environment, must ensure the assessments.” A further reminder was sent to the agency on January 22, 2015.
The letters, our findings revealed, was the culmination of distrust between Ikara leaders, NOSDRA and NPDC. Before the petition to the NASS, the communities had also raised concern over purported attempted by the NPDC to “destroy JIV evidence”. They claimed that the oil firm tried to mutilate the JIV forms signed by the stakeholders “with a view to destroy evidence against them on their unwholesome environmental practices.”
Speaking with our reporter on Monday, Brown-Dibofun insisted that the ploy to destroy the evidence of the JIV was hatched in connivance with some official of NOSDRA who went for the JIV. “When we noticed this, we protested to the then Zonal Director in Warri, Mr Bunmi Akindele, who later queried some of the officials deployed for the JIV.”
The FREDOROSA boss’ claim could not be independently confirmed because Akindele was no longer the Zonal Director at the agency’s Warri office at the time of this report. The result of the ‘query’ was also unknown.
Nevertheless, Eyimofe-Brown insisted that the NPDC spill management process was not transparent. He said, “Over 80percent of spills are wrongly listed by the company as 3rd party intervention in order to escaped liability.
“It is not only in the cause that they plan pranks; they also under report the quantity of crude oil spill. There was a case when the company said just 40 barrels of crude was spilled but when it awarded the contract for the recovery, the contractor was asked to recovered hundreds of barrels; where did the extra came from?”
Our problem with Ikara, others – Npdc
Our reporter’s effort to reach the Managing Director of the NPDC, Mr. Anthony Ugonna Muoneke and other staff competent to speak for the company was abortive.
However, a very reliable and high ranking officer of NPDC, who spoke on condition that his name would not be mention in this report, explained the company’s position on oil spills and other issues in the area. The source said some inhabitants of the areas were notorious for attacks on oil installations, stressing that it got so bad that the company reached out to prominent leaders in Itsekiri nation to help curb the attack on NPDC’s pipelines.
“When we notice incessant cases of vandalisation of our pipelines in the area – sometimes they put fire on the pipeline – we became concerned. We approached one Chief Johnson and asked him to take up a contract to guard our pipeline. Immediately they started writing petition that they want the contract broken into pieces. We said not because we want to be able to hold somebody responsible. We were sure that he could do it and he has helped us arrest a lot of suspect. “
Speaking on the process of cleanup and remediation of the spill site, the source debunked allegation that a JIV report was tampered, stressing that it was a desperate ploy to malign the company. It noted that the community leaders knew the channel of dealing with the issues .
“The truth is that in any oil spill, we invite DPR (Department of Petroleum Resources), NOSDRA, community for a JIV and they look at to find out if its equipment failure or vandalism. It is DPR that issue report about the JIV it is the report of DPR that determines what happens. If we have done JIV and DPR decides its sabotage, then that is what it is. The DPR is an independent government organ saddled with the responsibility.
“The problem of the community is that they are not willing to accept the report of DPR. Communities are using the press to blackmail and forcing us to do what is not right. They should have reported us to the Ministry of Environment and the NOSDRA; why go to the press? The Ministry of Environment asks questions when there is disagreement and we respond with documents.
“The law is that if it is vandalism which we have been experiencing, no relief materials, no compensation and nothing will be provided. If after vandalizing our equipment, making us lose production, shutdown and spend money on repair they still expect us to give them relief material?”
Even by its unenviable high level of violence and history of brutal kilings, the murder of the Financial Secretary-elect of the Ekpan Community Trust, Ekpan, Delta State, Mr Olomu Abraham Siesiri, was callousness taken a notch higher. The Monday evening bloodletting sent shivers down the spines of residents of the area and neighboring Effurun, headquarters of Uvwie Local Government area of Delta State.
Various eyewitness accounts indicated that the victim was shot at least five times at pointblank range during a minor fracas. The scene was around the Joceco Petrol Station area of the Urhobo community and the victim was driving in the company of three friends when he met his unfortunate end.
Ironically, his death came just hours before he was to be inaugurated along with others into the very influential ECT. One account of his horrific murder indicated that he was on his way to the inauguration ceremony into the trust when he met his untimely end.
It was learnt that trouble broke out between him and his killer when the latter crashed a car into Esiesiri’s car along the recently dualised Housing Complex/Refinery Link.
“When the other car bashed his car, AB came down and a hot exchange ensued between him and the two persons in the other car. In the heat of the shouting match, Siesiri slapped the driver of the other car. The young man just rushed back to his car, opened the booth, brought out a rifle and opened fire on him. All this took barely one minute.”
When the gunman and his accomplice fled the scene, their victim was lying helplessly in a fast flowing river of his own blood. His friends who rushed him to a private hospital in the area knew they were fighting a lost cause. He was pronounced dead on arrival.
Medical report later indicated that the deceased youth leader was shot five times across his body. The circumstances and brutality of his death led to concern that the accident was merely a cover for what was possibly an assassination.
Leadership tussle in Ekpan, like other oil-rich communities in the Niger Delta region, are often a matter of life and death. The community is host to several oil facilities, including Chevron/Texaco Nigeria Limited, the Warri Refining and Petroleum Company (WRPC), Pipeline Products and Marketing Company as well as other oil services companies. Those who lead the various communities enjoy substantial patronages from the companies and politicians in the area.
As a result, the struggle to assume the leadership of the community and of being a part of any juicy committee is taken by key players as a do-or-die affair. Sometimes overambitious members who cannot wait for the next round of elections, usually resolve to bloody coups in which the extant leaders are either killed or forced to flee the community.
It was against this background that the death of the youth leader led to panic in Ekpan and neighbouring suburbs of the council on Monday. The fears of reprisal killings of his real and perceived enemies have also gripped the community.
“The hard way is the only way. On a bad day, a good man died,” read a tribute posted on Esiesiri’s FaceBook page by a ‘friend and brother’.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Delta Command, DSP Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the report to reporters shortly after the killing, vowed that the police would track down the killers and bring them to book.
She said: “The killers escaped before Police arrived; expended shell of ammunition were recovered. Our crack team is on their trail to unravel the killers”, she said.
Interestingly, our investigation showed that the scene of the killing was a few meters away from the Ekpan Police Station. Similarly, a few meters down road at the Ekpan Junction, there is an army checkpoint. The military post was one of the measures taken several years ago by the state government and security agencies to curb the youths’ lust for blood and incessant killings occasioned by similar tussle.
Uneasy calm reigns in the community. The days ahead will determine if it is a calm before the storm.
