Host Communities Set Conditions for Shells Re-entry into OML 25
Port Harcourt Seven years after the closure of Oil Mining Lease OML 25, operated by the Shell Petroleum Development Company SPDC, host communities have laid out specific conditions for the company's return. During a recent meeting in Port Harcourt, representatives from SPDC, the Rivers State Government, NNPCL, and other joint venture partners convened with community leaders to discuss the terms.
The communities, including Kula, Ofoin-Ama, Belema, Ngeje, and its satellite areas, demanded that SPDC sign a Purchase Order PO with Belemaoil, an indigenous firm. This condition is part of a broader agreement aimed at ensuring the resumption of operations while addressing long-standing grievances.
Anabs Sara-Igbe, a prominent community leader, emphasized the area's enduring hardships over the past 50 years of SPDCs operations. We are ready for Shell to move in for operations immediately, provided they carry out all the agreed terms, Sara-Igbe stated. He highlighted the communitys readiness for the resumption of oil exploration but stressed that compliance with their conditions is non-negotiable.
Key demands include the employment of local graduates and skilled individuals, adherence to an eight-point agreement with Belemaoil that covers community and human capital development, training, and infrastructure improvements. Additionally, the communities called for an operation and maintenance contract between Belemaoil and SPDC.
Sara-Igbe underscored the importance of these agreements, stating, Belemaoil is our eye. They are in-between the community and SPDC. So if they do all that with Belemaoil and they give us those documents, then we have no problem.
To further facilitate the process, SAFA has taken a strategic decision to arrange charter flights for all away games, eliminating the challenges posed by connecting flights and airport wait times.
The host communities have made it clear that SPDCs re-entry hinges on fulfilling these conditions, with a signed agreement with Belemaoil being the first critical step.
For more updates on this developing story, stay tuned.
