Moses Ofodeme
The Ekpeye Oil and Gas Pipeline Host Families Association (EOG) has vowed to shut down operations of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company(NAOC), in Ekpeye land, over non-implementation of Local Content Act.
Chairman of EOG, Mr Dogini Chidi, gave the warning while interacting with the media at the weekend, in Port Harcourt.
Chidi said the group decided to issue the warning after NAOC and the Federal Government failed to address the Local Content Act, saying, “We are saying we want the Federal Government to maximize production, that is the reason we are laying the foundation, because industrial harmony is what we believe in but they want to short-change our people.
“So, if Agip fails to respond to Ekpeye people from now till Sunday (yesterday) by rescinding their decision on recruiting non indigenes to run the contracts that
concerns the Ekpeye people, we will shut them down from their flow station, they will not work no matter the high level of intervention”.
The Public Relations Officer, EOG, Mr. Austin Ijeoma, alleged that oil multinationals operating in the area had continued to neglect the indigenes of Ekpeye during recruitment processes, lamenting that the development has increased the unemployment level in the state.
The EOG also raised the alarm over what it described as clandestine activity of the contractor handling the NAOC Pipeline Surveillance in Ekpeye land.
In a statement signed by the Special Assistant on Information and Communications, EOG, Mr Oyagiri Chime-Emele, EOG alleged that the NAOC Pipeline surveillance was ineptly fomenting crises that would likely polarize two neighbouring communities, Ekpeye and Abua, both in Rivers State
Chime-Emele warmed that all oil and gas contractors involved in activities capable of disrupting the peace of the neighbouring communities would not be tolerated, and asked that all contractors remain within the confines of their domain.