Oron communities reject exclusion from MoU with oil firm

Communities in Oron in Akwa Ibom State, have said that their exclusion from the committee set up by the Akwa Ibom State Government to draft a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for Mobil and its host communities is unacceptable.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that Akwa Ibom's Deputy Governor, Mr Nsima Ekere, last week, intervened in the lingering crisis between Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) and its host communities over an MoU.The intervention led to the setting up of a committee to address the issue.The committee which comprised representatives of oil-bearing communities, traditional rulers, government and representatives of Mobil was given a one-month period to produce an acceptable MoU.Chief Etim Antai, Chairman, Oron Nation Oil and Environmental Committee (ONOEC) told NAN on Monday in Oron that any committee on MoU without representation from Oron was incomplete.'The committee is incomplete without the representation from Oron communities because most of Mobil's platforms are situated across our coastline.'The map showing the location of the various platforms within the Qua Iboe oil fields indicates that Idoho, Edop, Inim, Ubit platforms are all within Oron waters,' Antai said.He said ONOEC would seek redress to their exclusion from the committee to ensure that the interests of Oron communities were reflected in the proposed MOU.He said that Oron communities had established a relationship with Mobil over the past years, expressing hope that the proposed MOU would formalise the relationship and provide a legal framework for both the oil firm and the communities to abide by.Mr Inem Ina, the Chief Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, told NAN that the state government intervened in good faith, advising aggrieved communities to approach the committee with their grievances within the one month period.
Click here to read full news..