Rivers Community Threaten to Sue Timipre Sylva, others over Sale of Marginal Oil Field.
...Cries Out To Wike to intervene

Reports reaching out news desk indicate that Emohua community in Rivers State may be getting ready to drag the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, Sarki Auwulu, DPR Executive Director and Mamman Daura, to court to stop the sale of the Emohua Marginal Oil Field.

Community sources hinted that they have also cried out to the Rivers State governor to urgently intervene to stop sale of the oil well to little known Omega-Butler Limited, which they alleged is a front for some Northerners with the participation of the community.

The community acting through a non-governmental organisation, wrote, "We call on our indefatigable Rivers State Governor, His Excellency, Chief Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, urgently rise up in defence of Rivers interest and prevent this travesty of justice and the continuous enslavement of his people".

Recall that recently the Ministry of Petroleum Resources conducted a bidding process for 58 Marginal Fields in the Niger Delta. The exercise was riddled with allegations of bribery and lack of trsnsperency.

Below is rest of the statement issued by the community.

Text of a press Statement on the surreptitious sale of Emohua oil field during the just concluding bidding process for marginal fields, to the exclusion of community and state interests.


Gentlemen of the press. We have invited you here today to protest a grave and historical injustice against our people.

As you must all be aware, recently, the bidding round for the sale of marginal fields across the Niger Delta was conducted by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources under the direct supervision of the Minister of state for Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva.

Unfortunately and countrary to the spirit and letters of the Petroleum Industry Bill, scant regard was given to community interest, either through direct sale of the oil well to the community or through the equity participation of the community in the companies bidding for the oil field.

Our Investigations has shown that the Nigerian Marginal Field bidding round is predicated on three main premises:

The fields are awarded only to Nigerian companies, so it is a tool for boosting the Nigerian content, the government’s much-vaunted policy of domiciliation. It is the only bid round in the world predicated on the strength of technical argument and not on the price indicated by some highest bidder. It derives legitimacy from the idea that the discoveries may never get to production because the majors, on whose operated acreages the fields lie, consider their reserves uneconomic.

As is usual with matters concerning the Niger Delta and oil communities, policy frameworks and objectives were turned on their heads with impunity.

Out of the partial list of the 28 winners of the marginal fields on sale, none was given to or factored in the interest of the oil communities or local businesses.

In the instant case of the Emohua marginal field, neither the interest of the community or businesses in the state was considered, as the oil field was sold to an unknown company called Omega-Butler allegedly fronting for northern political interests.

The following questions therefore arises: (1)Is the community that suffers all the impact of environmental degradation, allergic to participation in the downstream of the oil sector? (2) Are there no Rivers owned businesses that could have individually or collectively bidder for the marginal field? (3) Why was the Rivers State government not approached to bid for the marginal field on behalf of the people of the state?

That a few marginal fields were awarded to fronts of the Minister of Petroleum, Chief Timi Sylva, does not equat with community participation.

It is sad and regratable that Timipre Sylva, should allow the perpetration of the further enslavement of Niger Deltans on the alter of his selfish political ambitions.

Of what benefit is Sylva's appointment as a Minister to the region if he continues to collude with northerners to defraud and enslave the Niger Delta? It is unfortunate and regratable that we have characters like Sylva, purpoting to be representing the region.

Contrary to the objectives of the policy on awards of marginal fields, which is to empower oil bearing communities and encourage indegenous participation in the downstream of the oil industry, Sylva has further entrenched the exclusion of Niger Deltans from the nation's oil industry.

We call on our indefatigable Rivers State Governor, His Excellency, Chief Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, urgently rise up in defence of Rivers interest and prevent this travesty of justice and the continuous enslavement of his people.

We equally call the attention of President Mihamadu Buhari to this backhanded scheme by the Minister of State for Petroleum, to short change the people of Emohau and Rivers State from benefiting and have a say in their good given oil resources.

WE DEMAND THE OUTRIGHT CANCELATION of the award process, as it is sacandalous, immoral and rife with bribery.

We will not fold our hands and watch them come to our land to take our oil. We will stop them by all legal means.

Thank you and God bless you.

Signed.
Solomon Eradiri
Niger Delta Situation Room