From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Ijaw National Congress (INC) has rejected the recent allocation of marginal oil fields to prospective winners by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) without addressing the concerns of host communities.
INC President, Prof. Benjamin Okaba in a statement on the recent happenings in Ijawland and the Niger Delta region, said it was improper for marginal oil fields to be awarded without guarantee of host communities’ stake in the oil acreages and internationally certifiable clean-up and restoration of damaged environment.
Okabo expressed regrets that the bidding process went ahead despite calls for a halt through litigation by three people from Ijawland, until a comprehensive baseline environmental evaluation of all oil and gas fields awarded , renewed or divested since 1956 is done in accordance with relevant laws and international best practises.
“The INC on behalf of the Ijaw people rejects the allocation of new marginal fields in Ijawland by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Department of Petroleum Resources without addressing the concerns and interest of host communities. The INC would follow up with the litigation in court challenging the marginal fields’ award process to its logical conclusion.