Nigeria: Edo Assembly Summons Seplat Energy, Community Over Land Dispute

The house has adopted a business calendar of 49 sitting days for the fourth quarter of the fourth session of the seventh assembly.

Edo House of Assembly, on Monday, summoned the management of Seplat Energy and leaders of the Orogho community over a land dispute.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that leaders of the community had earlier petitioned the house, asking it to save Edo land from being ceded to Delta State through the activities of the firm operating on the land.

The House Standing Committee Chairperson on Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Nosayaba Okunbor (PDP- Orhiomwon East), had presented the report of the committee on the petition to the assembly for consideration.

Mr Okunbor said the committee's findings showed that the land on which the firm was operating, according to documents obtained from National Boundary Commission and Edo Geographic Information System (GIS), belonged to Edo.

He also stated that findings revealed that the management of Seplat Energy paid royalty to the Delta State government instead of Edo.

The Speaker, Marcus Onobun, in his contributions to the findings, said that no organisation would be allowed to set the two sister states against each other.

He, therefore, directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to communicate in writing to the management of the firm and Orogho community to meet with the lawmakers on 13 April.

Meanwhile, the house has adopted a business calendar of 49 sitting days for the fourth quarter of the fourth session of the seventh assembly.

The Majority Leader, Henry Okhuarobo, who moved the motion for the calendar to be adopted, said the house would sit for 14 days in April, 23 days in May and 12 days in June.

Another lawmaker, Sunny Ojiezele (PDP-Esan South East) seconded the motion, while the house subsequently adopted the business calendar.

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