http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/49852.html

Enugu State Government has refuted claims that the rift between it and the Orient Petroleum Plc, OPR, over oil wells has been resolved. The OPR Managing Director, Mr. Emeka Nwawka, was recently quoted by the media as saying that the issues relating to the operations of the oil wells in Ojjor, Iggah and Asaba communities, all in the Uzo- Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, were resolved at a meeting between officials of the state government led by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Amaechi Okolo, and the company. However, the Commissioner for Information, Mr. Chuks Ugwoke, described Nwawka’s claim as an “unfortunate misrepresentation of the facts”.

He said though the government would continue to encourage OPR and other private sector investments in the state or elsewhere in the country, it had become necessary to correct the wrong impression created by Nwawka that the issues had been resolved.

The face-off is over the refusal of the company to acknowledge that it has oil wells in Enugu State and not only in Anambra State and the need to reflect the existence of oil wells in the three communities in all its communications and instruments.

Admitting that the two parties met over the matter on the July 31, the commissioner noted that “no resolution of any sort was reached” as the company merely briefed the representatives of the state government on its operations in the affected communities and even proposed that a conflict resolution committee be set up to address the issues while holding further talks on it.