Akwa Ibom people, through the association of indigenes of oil and gas communities and the frontline stakeholders, have dragged TOTAL E & P, a multi-National company who has operated in the area for about 50 years to a Port Harcourt Federal High Court for alleged non-compliance to agreed nascent MOU between them and Akwa Ibom communities since 2009.
The group, led by Hon. Engr. Frank Okuku, Mr. Edet Okpoyo, Comrade John Okon and 17 others, alleged that TOTAL E & P, has connived with some members of the implementation committee to deprive Akwa Ibom communities of their rights to foreign, post graduate, under graduate scholarship, skills acquisition, microfinance assistance, SR projects, infrastructural developments.
According to reports, they wrote severally to the management of TOTAL E & P Nigeria Ltd at home and abroad and also to the state Government between 2009 to 2012, yet nothing has been done to correct the fraud, yet the ministry of Environment cajoled to accepting to signed “yet another empty MOU upon the expiration of the former in 2012”. These are other reasons that have caused the group to drag the company to court.
Their prayers in the court were as follows: payments to Akwa Ibom State communities, the sum of $784m about N130 Billion as reparation over the off shore/onshore dichotomy between 2000-2010, that the company should locate a liaison office or corporate branch in Akwa Ibom State, that the company should pay 3% of their annual production output to the Akwa Ibom State communities according to UNITED NATIONS CHARTER on community benefit with multinational companies in oil and gas; that TOTAL E & P should account for over N384m project funds for “non existing projects.” etc.
And as their conditions for settlement, the seek that Engr. Onome Unauvwodo, chairman of TOTAL E & P Nigeria/Akwa Ibom implementation Committee (2009-2012) and all members of the committee should be dissolved by law. The group also demand that an Akwa Ibom person, who is a staff of TOTAL E & P should manage Akwa Ibom Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) as it’s done in Rivers and other states.
It is gathered that the company during the last hearing in Port Harcourt on October 14th, begged to settle out of court but they decried interference from the state ministry of environment noting that the multinational company intends to “cut corner and hide behind the ministry to delay the process of settlement.” We gave the government enough time, having written severally but nothing was done, but now that the court has given us one for the Alternative Despute Rosulation, TOTAL wants to hide behind the ministry to cut corners. “ As experts who have been in the oil industry for decades, we know their politics, they behave in divide and rule and in using the communities to fight the communities. They are trained to spend less and gain more, that’s why they want to use those who do not understand the rudiments and mechanics of the oil politics to continue to exploit and defraud Akwa Ibom people. We beg our dear Governor to wade into the matter and ensure that justice is done in Akwa Ibom State.
The group also reported that several threats have been launched to their leaders by Akwa Ibom people who want to connive with the company and exploit the state. They warned them to desist from the act in the interest of the development of the state.
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