Ejiofor Alike
16 November 2009
Lagos — Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Rivers State government have pledged to work together to restore production activities at the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)-operated Obigbo Gas Plant, in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Production activities at the 90 million standard cubic feet (scuf) per day Non Associated Gas facility was halted two years ago, following massive invasion of pipelines right of way by inhabitants of Umuebulu Community, via erection of buildings and cultivation of farmlands.
Speaking at the end of an extensive joint facility tour of theplant, weekend, NNPC's Group Managing Director, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, and Rivers State Governor, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, resolved to embark on measures which would bring the plant back on stream, in line with the National Gas Master Plan.
While Barkindo described resuscitation of the plant as a necessity in achieving the nation's short and medium term gas projection target, Amaechi said evacuation of dwellers from the path of the pipelines is a matter of humanitarian and economic urgency.
Barkindo said, "I did not expect to see what I just saw. We have no option open to us than to work with the governor, the LGA Chairman and Shell, to immediately see how we can quickly relocate these people who have encroached on this facility.
"This is disaster waiting to happen. We are shutting down 90 million scuf of gas at a time when every molecule is very important for our domestic gas obligations, but life comesfirst."On his part, Amaechi, said he has directed the state commissioner for Urban Development to value the properties and enumerate the people in good time, for eventual demolition. He said, "it is 200 metres from each side. A month after that,the properties should be demolished.
"He has also been mandated to call everybody around to explain to them why we are doing what we are doing. We are doing this, because we need to protect their lives. We should not forget that the Nigerian economy is dependent on oil and we cannot abandon this project, because 200 metres have been encroached upon by illegal occupants.
"We are not going to see them as illegal occupants; we see them as genuine Rivers people who in search of land, may have been misled into buying land here. We are not going to look at who is right or wrong, but we are going to look at the lives of the people. We are going to buy the land from them at commercial rate and encourage them to look for land elsewhere," he said.
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