By Omoniyi Salaudeen
All prospective corporate organizations and individuals bidding for marginal field licenses issued by the Federal Government may need to do a proper background check of the prevailing circumstances in the Niger Delta before taking a plunge into an investment that may bring no returns.
The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) had on April 6, 2020, announced the revocation of 11 of the 13 marginal fields licences issued to indigenous oil firms and subsequently threw open a fresh bidding process involving over 50 fields.
But some concerned Ijaw leaders in response filed a suit at the Federal High Court, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, seeking to halt the bidding process pending the publication of a comprehensive baseline environmental evaluation, survey/assessment of all oil and gas fields awarded, renewed or divested since 1956 in accordance with international best practices.
The suit was filed by Chief Philip Brown Agu, founder, Assured Ethical Advancement (AEA), Femowei Braye Friday and Mrs. Rosemary John-Oduone, president, Ijaw Women Connect (IWC), on behalf of Ijaw Ethnic Nationality.
This was sequel to the failed effort by the Ijaw Elders Forum (IEF) to prevail on the concerned authorities to, among others determine the issue of ownership of the natural resources of the Niger Delta, provide remediation for the chemically polluted and environmentally ravaged oil communities and compensate the people and affected communities for grievous infractions committed against them.
However, while the matter is still pending before the court, some elders are getting increasingly worried by the intrigues that have been trailing the proceedings of the case. Secretary, IEF, Mr. Efiye Bribena, told Daily Sun on telephone: “The Federal Government is trying to use all kinds of tricks to avoid addressing the issues in court.
“Government should have a change of attitude. It is in the interest of government to address this issue because those of us who have decided to go to court might be pushed aside by the youths who would not be patient and that may lead to crisis in the region.”
National Coordinator, Ijaw Monitoring Group (IMG), Joseph Evah, said that the goal post shifting strategy to thwart the effort aimed at peacefully resolving the contentious issues might jeopardise the prevailing peaceful atmosphere in the region:
“They are provoking the people of the Niger Delta with the manner in which they are treating this matter. If I could confront the military regime of the late Gen. Sani Abacha and stopped the dredging of River Niger for not doing environmental assessment impact, I don’t know why this insult is coming against our people in a democracy. We will not accept it.”
An environmental activist, Morris Allagoa, said: “It would profit the country more in positive ways, if this peaceful approach to the resolution of the contentious issues is given the desired attention. I want to urge the authorities to ensure that the needful is done on this matter.”
Meanwhile, Justice Abimbola Awogboro adjourned the case till April 28, 2021. The petitioners are praying the court to restrain the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), Minister, Petroleum Resources and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Resources, Timpre Sylva, from taking further action on the issuance of licences.