Skip to main content

Ijaw elders head for court over marginal field bid round

Ijaw elders head for court over marginal field bid round

By Adesina Wahab

Due to the failure of the Federal Government to respond to its demand to put on hold the 2020 marginal field bid round pending the determination of some contentious issues, Ijaw Elders Forum has issued a notice of intention to go to court to challenge the bidding process and seek appropriate redress.

The group also berated the FG for its seeming apathy towards the plights of the oil producing communities, saying it could no longer continue to watch its own people being dehumanised, exploited, humiliated and discriminated against through the auctioning of exploration licenses to the oil companies.

This is just as the group accused the oil companies of mindlessly raping the Niger Delta region through the appropriation of hydrocarbon deposit.

The group has, therefore, sought the services of GI&O Legal Practitioners and Notary Public to seek legal redress on the matter.

Reiterating its determination to defend the rights of its people by all legitimate means, the IEF lamented that oil exploration and drilling activities accounted for the declining economic productivity of the Ijaw nation with the attendant air and water pollution, frequent outbreak of pandemic, deaths, and environmental destruction.

A letter written by GI&O Legal Practitioners and Notaries Public on behalf of the group was dated September 21, and addressed to the office of the Honourable Minister of Petroleum through the Minister of State.

It read in part: “We do not think that our client had asked for too much when they urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to, for the sake of lives and property of its citizens which the head of the government had sworn to protect, halt the 2020 marginal field bid round until steps are taken to address some very basic and salient issues.

“The issues include remediation of the environment of oil-producing communities, compensation for damages already done to the people and communities and to ensure safety in oil exploration activities and protection of oil-bearing communities.”

“It explained that the decision of its client to pursue legal option followed the failure of the authorities concerned to respond to the earlier newspaper advertorials on the matter.

“In view of the foregoing and the seeming apathy of the Federal Government of Nigeria as well as that of the other operators in the oil and gas industry towards the yearnings of our clients and their people, you are by this letter hereby put on notice that our client and the people they represent are now determined to exercise their constitutional right of seeking redress in all available fora and the court of law by instituting legal action against all entities that have continued to subject our client and their communities to inhuman treatment and to activities having deleterious effects on the lives and property of the people,” it added.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Steer Clear from Tompolo's Pipeline Surveillance Job, Face Your Olu's Contract... Activist Warn Itsekiri Leaders

Steer Clear from Tompolo's  Pipeline Surveillance Job, Face Your Olu's Contract... Activist Warn Itsekiri Leaders  Niger Delta Human Rights Activist, comrade Daniel Ezekiel has berated ltsekiri leaders for calling on  the Federal Government to decentralize the pipeline security contract awarded to the Niger Delta living legend, High Chief Government Ekpemukpolo alias Tompolo. The activist in a statement to FocalPoint Reports, on Thursday, reacted with displeasure and strongly condemned Itsekiri leaders Who were led by Hon. Michael Diden to call for the decentralization of Tompolo's Surveillance contract, during a visit to High Chief Bibopere Ajube (Shoot-at-sight) at his Agadagba-Obon, residence in Ese-Odo Local Government Area of Ondo State,  Ezekiel Daniel described those who visited Bibopere Ajube as self-proclaimed Itsekiri leaders and their voices are nothing good but mere distractions and should not be taken seriously. He added that the statements m...
1 comment
Read more

NMU Governing Council chairman seeks solutions to challenges facing varsity

NMU Governing Council chairman seeks solutions to challenges facing varsity The Acting Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State,  Adewale Adeogun, has appealed for immediate action to address the pressing challenges facing the institution.   Adeogun, who spoke during the council meeting  in Warri, expressed deep concern over the university’s underdevelopment despite its six-year existence. Highlighting the urgent need for government intervention, Adeogun emphasised the importance of establishing a permanent campus and ensuring adequate funding.  He pointed out that the university’s progress has been hindered by the suspension of projects initiated by the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA). “It is disheartening to see that despite being a specialised university, Nigerian Maritime University is still struggling to find its footing,” Adeogun stated. “We must work tirelessly to secure gov...
Post a Comment
Read more

Retired police officers protest over unpaid pensions

Some retired police officers under the contributory pension scheme on Tuesday, May 21, protested at the National Assembly over alleged several months of unpaid pensions with a call on President Bola Tinubu to remove them from the scheme. The protesters decried the extreme challenges they endure, saying that the National Pension Commission (PENCOM) has failed to pay their entitlements for several months causing them and their families untold hardship. The aggrieved retired police officers also wrote a Save Our Soul (SOS) letter to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, calling for an urgent intervention. Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Chairman of the retirees, Christopher Effiong said many of their members have developed terminal illnesses and heart attacks as a result of the frustration associated with the scheme. In a letter dated May 21 and addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the retirees said many of their colleagues have lost their lives due to t...
Post a Comment
Read more