Nigeria: Rivers Community Protests Over Location of $550m Ubeta Gas Project

21 February 2025
Daily Trust (Abuja)
By Bassey Willie, Yenagoa

The people of Ekpeye Ethnic Nation in Ahoada East and West of Rivers State, who are the host communities for the $550 million Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited/TotalEnergies Ubeta Gas Project have protested against the planned diversion of the project to Obite, another Community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area.

The area originally marked for the gas project is claiming that despite the federal government's choice of the Ubeta area for the project and abundant deposit of gas in the area, some interest groups are planning to lay pipes and link the community's gas to another area to site the project.

The traditional rulers of Ubeta communities, including His Imperial Majesty, Eze Sir, (Amb) Kelvin Ngozi Anugwo, Eze Ekpeye Logbo III, Akalaka XII, His Royal Highness, Eze Dr. Chigemerem David, among others told newsmen on Thursday that the entire Ekpeye people will reject any plan to pipe the gas project from the area to another community.

The Ubeta Field Development Project is being developed under Oil Mining Licence (OML) 058, with an expectation to produce 300 million standard cubic feet of gas per day (mmscfd) which is billed to commence production in 2027.

The Ubeta Field facility, when completed, would feed and secure gas supply to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Train-7 Project at Finima, Bonny Island, currently undergoing capacity expansion from 22 to 30 metric tonnes per annum (mtpa).

The people of Ekpeye Ethnic Nation, had earlier in a resolution after their meeting and signed by His Imperial Majesty, Eze Sir (Amb) Kelvin Ngozi Anugwo, Eze Ekpeye Logbo III, Akalaka XII, His Royal Highness, Eze Dr. Chigemerem David, Eze Emene Echi Ubie I, Secretary, Ekpeye Council of Traditional Rulers and Chiefs and Dr. Michael U. Nyemenim, President General, Uzugbani Ekpeye, on behalf of themselves and the entire Ekpeye people reject any plan to pipe the gas project to another community.

The people, while appreciating the federal government for the project, insisted that "The Ubeta Gas Project shall be built at Ubeta Community or elsewhere in Ekpeye Ethnic Nation."

Read the original article on Daily Trust.

Tagged:
Copyright © 2025 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.

AllAfrica publishes around 500 reports a day from more than 110 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals, representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct.

Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica. To address comments or complaints, please Contact us.