The prevailing peace in Kpean Town, Ken-Khana, one of the host communities of SPDC Yorla Oil fields in Khana Local may be disrupted if the looming crisis in the Ogoni community occasioned by the alleged surreptitious return of Shell to the area is not stopped forthwith.
The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) on which a red card had been slammed by the Ogoni people is said to have sneaked into the Yorla Oil Field in Kpean Community in apparent disregard of their sack.
Information at our disposal says the multi-national oil company has been in the field since Thursday, last week.
When confronted according to a source, the company’s Community Liaison Officer (CLO), Sunday Michael said their coming back was at the instance of Hon Legborsi Nwidaadah, who represents Khana constituency 1 in the State House of Assembly and one Chief Gilbert Warine.
And contrary to the notion that the SPDC was in the area to clean up the spill from well 10 on notification, the company has gone ahead to engage labour to work on all their well-heads in the field.
Pained by the move, the youths of the area took to the streets in protest against the presence of Shell, but to their dismay, Hon Nwidaadah is said not to be taking the opposition to Shell’s return kindly.
Consequently, the lawmaker is said to have perfected plans to get the leader of the protesting youths, Comrade Sunny Bekanwah arrested.
The youths however have sworn to slug it out with the legislator rather than allow Shell entry into their community.’
But when contacted over the matter, a Prominent Chief of the community, Gilbert Warine said the SPDC only came upon invitation over the well 10 oil spill with a view to cleaning it up.
According to him, the spills from well 10 and 13 had been a source of worry to the people over time, which necessitated the contact with Shell for the sole purpose of cleaning it up.
On the alleged work at the other sites in the area, Chief Warine said all the SPDC is doing is to take stock of their assets (survey of their oil wellheads) in the area, stressing that even though the company had been declared persona-non-grata in Ogoni, it still retains the services of a retinue of surveillance contractors who monitor their assets in the area.
And before they came in, the SPDC also paid the mandatory fee of N30,000 (FTO) before it was allowed entry, Chief Warine added.
National Network also gathered that Hon Legborsi Nwidaadah has issued a threat to any youth in the area that confronts Shell’s return to Yorla oil field. The youths are accusing him of alleged business deal with Shell and fanning the embers of discord in the area.
Just as the youths took to the streets to protest Shell’s return to the area, a team of Shell Engineers with 12 Hilux vehicles surrounded by men of the Joint Task Force (JTF) were stopped by the protesting youths at Baen junction leading to Kpean.
The youths are demanding to know, the reason behind the return of shell to the area, without the knowledge of the people.
The youths further called on the Rivers State Governor to call Hon Nwidaadah to order, before he throws the community into crisis.
The youths further accused the lawmaker of working with SPDC against the interest of the people.
They recalled that he has held several secret meetings with Shell, plotting on how Shell can possibly return to Ogoni through the back door.
All efforts made to reach Hon Nwidaadah fingered in the alleged conspiracy, yielded no positive result, but he later however, sent a text message stating “It is actually not my intention to go to press war with SPDC contractors in Yorla oil field but, if I can get the true picture of what they are saying I may react”.
Source: Ogoninews
