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Tag: SPDC

  • Shell cannot be sued in UK for Nigerian oil spill – Court

    Shell cannot be sued in UK for Nigerian oil spill – Court

    Britain’s High Court ruled on Thursday that oil major Royal Dutch Shell cannot be sued in London courts over Nigeria oil spill allegations.

    If the High Court had ruled in favor of the two groups, other claimants against British-based multinationals could have been emboldened to pursue legal action through the British courts, some legal experts had told Reuters.

    Villagers from the Bille and Ogale communities in Nigeria’s oil-rich Delta region were trying to pursue oil spill allegations against the company’s Nigerian subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in British courts.

    The court ruled that the suit did not establish that Shell, the parent company, had legal responsibility for SPDC’s actions.

    “The claimants have failed to demonstrate that the first threshold requirement – is there a ‘real issue’ between the claimant and the anchor defendants – is met,” the ruling stated.

    Leigh Day, a law firm representing the villagers, said it would appeal the ruling.

    SPDC’s General Manager for External Relations, Igo Weli, said the firm hoped “the strong message sent by the English court today ensures that any future claims by Nigerian communities concerning operations conducted in Nigeria will be heard in the proper local courts.”

    The Nigerian villagers argued domestic courts were unfit to hear their case, while Shell said the matter was a uniquely Nigerian issue and should be heard there.

    Shell also denied responsibility for the spills, which it said were due to sabotage and illegal refining.

     

  • SPDC’s revenue to Fed Govt hits $43b

    SPDC’s revenue to Fed Govt hits $43b

    • ‘Insecurity in Niger Delta worrisome’

    Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC) Joint Venture contributed $43 billion to the national treasury in five years, the Managing Director and Country Chairman, Shell Companies in Nigeria, Mr. Osagie Okunbo, has said.

    He spoke in Lagos while presenting the oil giant’s  score card between 2010 and 2015.

    Okunbo praised Shell for generating such huge revenue to the country, despite the unfriendly economic environment.

    He noted that Shell operated ventures in Nigeria produced an average of 688,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d), with 496,000 boe/d from SPDC JV, and 192,000 barrels of oil per day (bopd) from Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo).

    “Shell Nigerian Gas Limited (SNG) supplies natural gas to 87 industrial customers and SPDC JV is the major supplier of gas to Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), while the SPDC JV Afam VI power plant, which has a 650 megawatts (mw) generating capability, supplied approximately 14 per cent of the nation’s grid-connected electricity in 2015 and has delivered 20 million megawatt-hour (Mwh)of electricity into the Nigerian grid between its inauguration in 2008 and June 2015.

    “On social investment, Shell Companies in Nigeria (SCiN) pursue a variety of social investment projects with particular focus on community and enterprise development, education and health. In 2015 Shell-operated ventures contributed $145.1 million to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as required by law. Also, $50.4 million was directly invested by the SPDC JV and SNEPCo in social investment projects, which makes Nigeria the largest concentration of social investment spending in the Shell Group,” he said.

    On the insecurity in the Niger Delta, Okunbo said it was disturbing to see one’s 48-inch diameter pipeline damaged.

    He said it was even more painful that two-thirds of the pipeline’s content belongs to the Nigerians-Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NDPC), an arm of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Seplat Petroleum Development Company and Shoreline.

    He said pipeline and oil and gas facilities vandalism is sheer criminality and not agitation and that it is only in Nigeria that people destroy their own assets, adding that there are other ways to show grievances, which could be resolved through dialogue and constructive engagements.

    According to him, vandalism of pipeline has multiple negative effects, noting that currently much of the gas in the western axis couldn’t be accessed, a reason power supply dropped substantially because of poor gas supply to thermal power plants.

    However, Okunbo said SPDC’s management does  crisis review of the Niger Delta daily, talks and works with stakeholders to find lasting solution to menace.

    He confirmed that Shell was not leaving Nigeria.

     

  • SPDC JV endows professorial chair in Auto Engineering

    The Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Effurun, Delta State, is hosting the latest professorial chair that has been established by The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) operated Joint Venture (JV).

    The endowment is meant to support learning and research in Nigerian universities, the company said.

    A statement by the company said the Shell Professorial Chair at FUPRE is for Lightweight Automobile Engine Development, which would be staffed by a professor who would sit in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, leading studies and research into the field for an initial period of four years.

    “The establishment of the Chair is an important development for the Nigerian automobile industry,” said Igo Weli, SPDC’s General Manager, External Relations. “We will have the opportunity of a consistent and focused research on an industry, the outcome of which will be good news for the mobility needs of millions of Nigerians,” the statement said.

    The Vice Chancellor of the university, Prof. Akii Ibhadode said: “We are looking for a Professor who should have been in that position for not less than 10 years, experienced in teaching, research and consulting in mechanical and automobile engineering as well as  internal combustion engines. The occupant of the Chair starts work in September 2016.  This is a unique Professorial Chair and we are grateful to Shell and its Joint Venture partners for the confidence reposed in us.”

    SPDC JV has long supported the development of automobile engineering in Nigeria through the sponsorship of University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and University of Benin to Shell Eco-marathon in Rotterdam, a global competition which encourages students to build and race energy efficient cars.

  • SPDC increases gas production

    SPDC increases gas production

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) Joint Venture, has started producing more gas from Agbada field in the Eastern Niger Delta in support of government’s aspiration of increasing domestic gas production for manufacturing and power generation.

    Some 10 million standard cubic feet of non-associated gas per day (MMscf/d), was produced from the Agbada Early Gas Production Facility (EGPF), into the eastern domestic gas network on March the eight and has already ramped up to 20MMscf/d of gas, with 1,500 barrels per day of oil.

    According to the Corporate Media Relations Manager, Precious Okolobo, a peak production of 40MMscf/d is expected to be achieved, in addition to oil production of about 2,500 barrels per day. The milestone comes as SPDC JV’s Afam VI, with 650 megawatts (Mw) capacity, continues to deliver power to the national grid.

    “We’re pleased to support efforts towards increasing gas supply for manufacturers and power plants,” said Toyin Olagunju, General Manager Projects, SPDC.

    “We’re also pleased that the project was delivered in record time – 14 months from initiation to first gas – within budget and most importantly, safely. We acknowledge the support of NAPIMS and other JV partners, without which the milestone would not have been possible,” Olagunju added.

    The additional gas will further boost gas availability on the eastern domestic gas network and will be available to enhance power generation by over 150Mw. The early gas project was initiated in January 2015 pending the completion of the main Agbada non-associated gas plant.

    SPDC pioneered the production and delivery of gas to domestic consumers and export markets. Early this year, SPDC signed a gas sale agreement with the Bayelsa State Government under which it will sell gas to the Bayelsa Development and Investment Corporation (BDIC) for the purpose of power supply to the Kolo Creek gas turbine.

  • SPDC battling to contain Forcados oil spill

    SPDC battling to contain Forcados oil spill

    The management of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) yesterday continued the battle to contain a spill from its ruptured pipeline in Forcados, Delta State.

    It was gathered that the affected pipeline is the Forcados Terminal Crude Loading Platform (CLP) supply line, which is located on the high sea off the coast of Forcados in Burutu Local Government Area.

    A source said as much as 35,000 barrels of oil might have spilled into the sea and washed into adjoining rivers and creeks. “A vessel was being loaded the night the spill occurred. Those at the control room did not know that there was a spill and they continued to pump until personnel at CLP called to find out why oil was not being pumped into the vessel,” he said.

    The incident has halted production from SPDC’s facilities serviced by the export line and those of third parties.

    The cause of the spill was yet to be ascertained as at press time but a hitherto unknown militant group, Niger Delta Avengers, has claimed responsibility.

    In a statement on its facebook page, the group said it was the beginning of another oil war in the region. But the claim cannot be independently verified until the outcome of a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) is known.

    SPDC’s spokesperson, Mr. Precious Okolobo, responsing to inquiries about meeting with host communities, said on Tuesday evening: “SPDC will continue to engage communities on the spill at Forcados Terminal. By industry regulations, a JIV (Joint Investigation Visit) comprises of regulatory and security agencies, communities and the operators.”

    Okolobo said SPDC had activated its Emergency Response and Oil Response teams to manage the incident, while booms and other oil containment resources are being deployed to stop the spread.

    He noted that the Anglo Dutch firm had requested the support of Clean Nigeria Associates (CNA) for a comprehensive response to the spill and relevant authorities, including security agencies, have been informed as a requisite for a joint investigation visit which will determine the cause and volume of oil spilled.

    When The Nation visited Isiayegbene yesterday, efforts were on to contain the spill. “We are putting booms at strategic places, as you can see, to prevent the oil from spreading to other places. This is the containment that we are doing for now,” a worker on site said.

    Meanwhile, communities in the area are bracing for the landfall of the spill, which has already hit nearby Okuntu, leaving in its wake dead fishes.

    It was gathered that the community leaders have disputed that the spill resulted from the activities of militants, despite claims by Niger Delta Avengers, probably to pressure SPDC to pay them compensation.

    “We don’t believe any claim because this is a massive spill and we cannot allow SPDC and the Federal Government to escape responsibility.”

  • Shell rakes in $2.437b from two oil blocks sale

    Shell rakes in $2.437b from two oil blocks sale

    The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and other joint venture firms, Total Exploration and Production (E&P) Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited have realised $2.437 billion from sale of their interests in two oil blocks – oil mining lease (OML) 18 and OML 29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) and related facilities in the Eastern Niger Delta.

    The companies completed sale of their interests in assets last week bringing an end to the controversies that trailed the transaction since last year. The transaction on the two assets ought to have closed since last year alongside other two blocks OMLs  24, 25, but because OMLs 18 and 29 were considered juicy when compared to others and besides there were issues of capacity and capability on the side of the preferred bidders, the transaction lingered till last week.

    According to SPDC’s Corporate Media Relations Manager Precious Okolobo, Shell’s interests in OML 18 were assigned to Eroton Exploration & Production Company Limited and total cash proceeds for Shell amount to $737 million while OML 29 and the NCTL were sold to Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production (E&P) Company Limited and total cash proceeds for Shell amount to some $1.7 billion.

    This divestment is part of the strategic review of SPDC’s onshore portfolio and is in line with the Federal Government’s aim of developing Nigerian companies in the country’s upstream oil and gas business, he added.

    Shell, he said, has been in Nigeria for more than 50 years and remains committed to keeping a long-term presence there – both onshore and offshore. Through SPDC and its other Nigerian companies, Shell responsibly produces the oil and gas needed to help fuel the economic and industrial growth that generates wealth for the nation and jobs for Nigerians.

    OML18 covers an area of 1,035 square kilometres and includes the Alakiri, Cawthorne Channel, Krakama, and Buguma Creek fields and related facilities. The divested infrastructure includes flow stations together with associated gas infrastructure plus oil and gas pipelines within the OML. The divested fields produced on average of about 14,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2014.

    OML29 covers an area of 983 square kilometres and includes the Nembe, Santa Barbara and Okoroba fields and related facilities. The NCTL is 100 kilometres long and has a capacity of 600 thousand barrels per day. It was commissioned in 2010 and evacuates crude to the Bonny Crude Oil Terminal (BCOT). BCOT is not part of the transaction and will remain owned and operated by the SPDC Joint Venture. The divested infrastructure includes flowstations together with associated gas infrastructure plus oil and gas pipelines within the OML. The divested fields produced around 43,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day (100 per cent) in 2014.

    Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited have also assigned their interests of 10 per cent and 5 per cent respectively in the lease, ultimately giving Eroton Consortium a 45 per cent interest in OML 18 and also assigned the same interests to Aiteo Eastern E&P Company Limited ultimately giving it a 45 per cent interest in OML 29 and the Nembe Creek Trunk Line.

    Shell said all approvals have been received from the relevant authorities.

    Royal Dutch Shell Plc had said it targets $15 billion from assets sales between last year and this year. The divestments of the assets are part of the steps to achieve the target.

    Shell Chief Executive Officer Ben Van Beurden had said the company had already completed about $8 billion in asset sales and announced plans to dispose of about $15 billion through 2015 adding that the company agreed to sell two natural gas assets in the United States for $2.1 billion plus shale acreage.

    Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, said last year that the value of divested assets by the International Oil Companies (IOCs) including Shell, Chevron, Total and Agip from onshore, shallow water and offshore terrains, would hit about $11.5 billion by the end of last year. She said before the end of last year, at least 20 oil blocks with reserves of not less than four billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe) would have been divested by the multinational oil firms.

  • Oil exploration: Ogoni okay indigenous firm to replace Shell

    Oil exploration: Ogoni okay indigenous firm to replace Shell

    Ogoni people yesterday maintained their stand that Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) would not return to Ogoniland. But they have agreed to allow an indigenous firm, Belemaoil Producing Limited, to resume oil exploration and exploitation in the four Ogoni Local Government Areas of Khana, Gokana, Eleme and Tai.

    The Anglo/Dutch oil giant was sent packing from Ogoniland in 1993.

    The latest decision of the Ogoni was contained in a communiqué issued yesterday in Port Harcourt by the Chairman of the Supreme Council of Ogoni Traditional Rulers, King Godwin Gininwa, and other rulers of the communities in Ogoniland.

    The communiqué, which was read by the paramount ruler of Ogale-Eleme, King Godwin Bebe-Okpabi, endorsed the resumption at the indigenous firm for oil operations in Ogoniland.

    The communique reads: “We hereby accept, present, endorse and declare Belemaoil Producing Limited to all Ogoni people, Shell Africa, Shell Investor Group, the Federal Government of Nigeria, World Investors Finance Groups, Finance Group, United Nations, all Human Rights Support Groups and the European Union (EU).

    “Ogoni oil is now open for exploration and production for Belemaoil Producing Limited. Shell, the Federal Government and all groups should kindly give all necessary support to making this historic event successful.”

    Gininwa, who is also the Chairman of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, lauded the people of the oil-producing communities in Ogoniland for their unity and initiative, while expressing optimism that allowing the indigenous oil firm in the area would lead to total development of Ogoniland.

    Speaking with reporters, the Chairman of the Bodo-Ogoni Council of Chiefs of Gokana LGA, Mene Sylvester Kogbara, stated that the oil firm has agreed to meet the demands of the Ogoni people.

    Kogbara said: “Shell was here for over 50 years ago and we (Ogoni) have not seen any tangible thing. You know the problems we have had with Shell over the years, till we lost our leaders in the process of demanding our rights.

    “Shell has not responded and so we expect that the new company coming in will respect the rights, privileges and the tradition and culture of the Ogoni People.”

  • Brighter future for the physically challenged

    Brighter future for the physically challenged

    For the physically challenged, there is hope of a better tomorrow. Shell has introduced a programme through which they are being empowered, writes AKINOLA AJIBADE.

    In line with United Nations (UN) charter which identifies the rights of the physically challenged, such as the blind, dumb, deaf and lame, to live, develop their skills and work, corporate organisations, government and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have gone into training them.

    One such organisations is Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). The oil major is training the physically challenged to make them employers. It has so far trained 30 who were selected from the Niger Delta, especially Rivers, Bayelsa, Delta, Akwa-Ibom, Imo and Abia.

    The initiative, part of Shell Live Wire empowerment programmes, is meant to make the physically challenged productive.

    Outgoing  Shell Managing Director Mutiu Sunmonu said the training was introduced to enable the less-privileged achieve their goals. He said the scheme has a lot of jobs’ prospect, adding that the 30 beneficiaries are going to provide thousands of jobs. Those expected to benefit from the scheme are skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers, such as shoe makers, bead makers, tailors, hair dressers, phone repairers, and poultry managers. Others are those into dying.

    Sunmonu explained that 54 per cent of Nigerians are youths between 15 and 35, arguing that the only way Shell could bring about the desired change is to empower them. He said 54 per cent of youths were unemployed, going by the 2012 Baseline Youth Survey Report provided by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

    “Through training, we believe we can help reduce unemployment in Nigeria. The country was ranked as the largest economy in Africa. However, unemployment rate is rising in Nigeria. The figures are alarming when profiling youths between 15 and 35 years. The 2012 National Baseline Youth Survey Report issued by NBS in December 2013 attested to this. It said 54 per cent of Nigerian youths were unemployed,” Sunmonu said.

    Sunmonu, said the physically challenged are sensually impaired and unable to do what others are doing, arguing that the only way to make them relevant is to empower them.

    This, he said, informed Shell’s decision to train 30 people, and give them N300,000 each to start  business, adding that through the initiatives the Anglo-Dutch firm, Shell is ploughing back to the countries where it operates.

    Managing Director, Shell Nigeria Exploration Petroleum Companies (SNEPCOs) Tony Attah said the organisation gave N750,000 each to 20 youths trained under the Shell LiveWire programme last year.

    Youth Development Adviser, Shell Monica Umah said the beneficiaries were picked across board, adding that those trained were 10 with visual impairment, 10 deafs and dumb, and 10 that are physically challenged.  She said six consultants were hired to handle the training.

    Umah said: “We had a-27-day programme where people were put in a class, trained on how to repair shoes, phones, make beads, keep poultry among others. During the training, we made people to understand that they would get a shop, buy materials with which they would render services to their customers, expand their businesses to create more jobs and grow the economy. At the end of the programme, beneficiaries were given start-up funds of N300,000 to enable them commence operations.”

    She said Shell signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation in the six states to enable it achieve its goals.

    On the method of recruitment, she said people applied, were shortlisted, interviewed and selected for the training, stressing that each of the states was represented in the programme. Umah said the training is on-going because Shell is committed to the society’s growth.

    According to her, Shell wants to see that more people are empowered in order to help drive socio-economic activities in its countries of operation. She said every aspect of the social empowerment programmes organised by Shell, comes with something unique and attractive.

    Umah said the physically challenged have been exhibiting their skills in sports and other aspects of human endeavours. She said members of the Nigerian contingent to Paralympic Olympics in London in 2012 won 13 medals, including six gold, five silver and two bronze. Many who are physically challenged can make success of their entrepreneurial skills, if giving the opportunity to do so.

    “Shell is creating opportunities for the physically challenged to develop their skills, create jobs and help grow the economy. Shell Live Wire programme has succeeded in developing skills, hitherto inactive in the country,” she added.

    A beneficiary,Mbuotidem Okorie, said the training has not only exposed him to business ideas and ways of actualising his dream of becoming rich. He said he would be repairing phones and render ancillary services, noting that the growth in Information Communication Technology (ICT) has provided a vista of opportunities for people.

    Another beneficiary, Agnes Udo, said she benefited from the training, adding that her  childhood dreams of becoming an employer has come true.

    The Chief Executive Officer, First Books Limited, Dr Emmanuel Obidiegwu, said every human being is blessed with one talent or the other, arguing that anybody that fails to discover and use his talent would not grow.

    He urged the physically challenged not to lose hope. He said Nigeria is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), arguing that the physically challenged would occupy vantage positions soon.

    “The disabled should see hope, instead of hopelessness; success instead of failure, and goodness and not sorrow. They should sit down, discover their talents or skills, put them into practise and forge ahead.  By doing these, they would succeed in their chosen endeavours and make impact on the economy the same way people who are not impaired in any form are doing,” Obidiegwu advised.

    Joblessness, UNO said, is a scourge that must be fought to enable the physically challenged realise their potentials and feel a sense of belonging in the society. It said through this, the physically challengedwould be able to live a normal life.

    The global body said the physically challenged, like other human beings, are unique and should be assisted emotionally, mentally and physically. The International Day of Persons with Disabilities marked across the world in December 3 last year underscored this assertion. It had the theme: “Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.”

  • Shell blames vandals for oil spills

    Shell blames vandals for oil spills

    Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has linked crude oil theft to  the breaking of pipelines.

    In a paper titled: ”Shell in Nigeria: ‘Unlocking Nigeria Energy  Potential’, it said oil thieves broke pipelines to achieve their aim.

    The oil giant said its pipelines were destroyed by vandals.

    It said 92 per cent of oil spilled from its facilities between 2009 and 2013, was caused by pipeline vandals.

    It said about 208 kilometres of pipelines were vandalised in 2011; 312 in 2012; and 250 in 2013.

    The company said it would single-handedly  supply gas to the  225 megawatts (Mw) Gbairan power plant, one of the 10 National Independent Power Projects (NIPP) undertaken by the Federal Government, to generate 5,000Mw of electricity and further improve power supply in the country.

    The firm said: ” Shell will be the sole supplier of a new 225 megawatts power plant being built in Gbairan by the Federal Government under the Nigerian Independent Power Project. In 2010, SPDC began producing from the Gbairan-Ubie integrated oil and gas plant in Bayelsa State. Gbairan is designed to process one billion standard cubit feet of gas per day. In addition to supplying gas to the Nigerian Liquefied Gas (NLNG), Shell also supplies gas to the Bayelsa State power plant at Imiring.”

    It said the Gbairan Ubie plant is helping to reduce flaring of associated gas from nearby fields, thereby contributing to the SPDC  flares reduction programme.

    ”The Gbairan Ubie project has created a legacy of skills and capacity in complex gas projects, which will be vital in meeting Nigeria’s electricity supply challenges in the years ahead,” the firm added.

    Shell said its Okoloma gas plant supplies gas to the Afam power plant, adding that the plant also supplies gas to the domestic market in the east.

    ”Shell Companies in Nigeria remain a crucial part of the overall gas energy mix, with SPDC’s Afam VI power plant alone contributing 14-20 per cent of Nigeria’s grid connected electricity generation. Afam is an example of the integration of new technology in domestic power generation. It used 40 per cent less gas than plants using older technology and has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions substantially,” it said.

    Gas is a major problem, hindering the power plants from performing at optimum capacity.

     

  • Still wasting away in Bayelsa

    Still wasting away in Bayelsa

    Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)and some communities in Bayelsa State have found it difficult to resolve their differences over projects being implemented under the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU).

    The disagreement between Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and six cluster communities in Kou clan of Bayelsa State over a five-year Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU)is not about to be settled. Both sides are holding to their positions.

    Over N500 million worth of projects in Agge, Amazor, Agge Palm Bush, Azamabiri Ogbeintu and Orobiri are rotting away.

    The Agge Cottage hospital was abandoned until recently when it was taken over by the Ekeremor local government council. Yet, the facility is barely functional and serves mostly as a dispensary rather than a functional primary healthcare centre that it was meant to be.

    The procurement, drilling and installation of the solar-powered water scheme and treatment plants for the six communities cost nearly N85million (at the cost of N14.147m per community). Source in the benefiting communities said they only drank water from the scheme during the first few months before it broke down due to lack of maintenance.

    “It was a big relief for us because we stopped drinking the polluted water from the stream and the pure (sachet) water that we usually drink. But now the water has stopped flowing and we have gone back to the bad times again. It is like taking a village man to the city and then dragging him back to an even more remote village. We are worse off now than we were before,” a member of Oroibiri told our reporter.

    NDR traced the problem with the water project, like others handled by the Kou CDB, to disagreement between the board and the SPDC team overseeing the GMoU. The face-off climaxed when the community rejected a contractor brought in by SPDC to maintain the water scheme. The SPDC team had earlier scrapped the extant contract signed with the contractors that executed the project. A source at the company office in Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, said the position was due to the high cost quoted in the initial project.

    The Chairman of the former Kou CBD, Mr Osteen Igbapike, accused the company’s representatives of meddling in the running of the board because of their alleged “personal interests”.

    He said the contractor was approved after going through rigorous bidding and verification process. He lamented that it came to maintenance, the SPDC official brought in ‘their contractor”.

    A top official of the company in its Yenagoa office also punctured the community’s claim of alleged meddlesomeness.

    “Some of the past board members created problems for the board and got involved in personal clashes instead of concentrating on developing the communities. Look at the Nembe CDB, it is a model and it is doing very well. Perhaps you should ask those involved in the Kou fiasco why theirs is not.

    “On Thursday, November 13, the Bilagorogbene Mein Cluster Development Foundation commissioned projects value at N140m. the Gbarain/Ekpetiama CDB as also executed over N100m projects. It is the same thing with Iduwini Development Foundation. All these are success stories; if there is one failure those involved should look inward,” said our source, who asked not to be named.”