Israel Umoh
The case of Ikot Inyang Abia and Ikot Ukpong Villages, Ukanafun Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State in benefiting from their natural gas is pathetic, a scenario likened to a man who is living in a goldmine but is wallowing in abject poverty.
The two villages, which play host to Accugas Limited, a subsidiary of Savannah Energy Plc, cannot brag about the company in sincerely exploiting and utilising the abundant gas deposits in their soil to positively impact their lives, an exclusive story by Straightnews, shows.
From Sunday, August 11 to last Thursday, both state and federal government officials and players in the oil industry turned the villages temporarily deserted by indigenes due to gas leak to mecca.
It was discovered the Right of Way (ROW) of the pipeline linked to a gas station inaugurated by Accugas in Ikot Ukpong in 2009 was covered with overgrown weeds.
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Though the leak was attributed to sabotage and vandalism by unsuspected third party, the incident drew officials of Federal and State Ministries of Environment, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly Committee on Oil and Gas and other players in the industry to the serene but abandoned villages laying the “golden egg.”
On Tuesday, August 13, 2024, the Chairman of the Transition Committee, Ukanafun Local Government Council, Akuku Godwin Sunday Ekpe, met with representatives from Savannah Energy, the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources, and other key stakeholders.
Straightnews gathered that the gas pipeline passing through 18 villages in Ukanafun is supplying gas to UNICEM in Cross River State.
Recall that 58 communities in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria had slammed a N500 billion suit against East Horizon Gas Ltd and Accugas-Seven Energy Ltd over non-implementation of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the host communities.
Akwa Ibom Government, Attorney General and Commissioner for Lands and Towns Planning as defendants had on May 4, 2009 entered into MoU with East Horizon Gas Ltd located at 36, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos on behalf of the 58 villages to tap gas from Ukanafun and link pipes through other villages in the state to UNICEM in Cross River State.
The case taken to Akwa Ibom High Court in March 2021 is still pending for determination and final adjudication.
However, a visit by our correspondent to the two villages clearly shows how the company has orphaned the host communities for 15 years by failing to fulfil its Corporate Social Responsibility obligations.
According to our correspondent, Accugas has not employed indigenes of the host communities.
Moreover, the company has not provided scholarships, bursary award, pipe-borne water, electricity, motorable roads, among others to the communities.
Reacting to this, the Village Head of Ikot Inyang Abia, Chief Jimmy Okpon Ibuot said the company has not provided them with social amenities.
“The host communities has a case against the company pending in Akwa Ibom State High Court for the past four years.
“We had launched different appeals for the company to honour its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with us, but the company reneged it. As a last resort, we had to drag the company to court for solution and final settlement,” Chief Ibuot stated.
Also speaking, the Village Head-elect of Ikot Ukpong, Chief Ndianabasi Ofong confirmed to Straightnews that the company has deprived his village of social amenities.
“Accugas has not done anything in the village. No security from village is employed to watch over the Right of Way of the gas project. It was wrong for the officials to blame us for vandalism, when nobody from the village supervises the pipeline.
“Apart from this, the company has neither provided scholarships nor bursary award to our village,” Ofong lamented.
The Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Petroleum Industry Act in Ukanafun, Engr. Joshua J. Ebong told Straightnews on Saturday that the company has not played its CSR role in the area.
“The PIA has divided the host communities into upstream, midstream and downstream.
“The law governing upstream has been concluded and signatories of the host communities in terms of BOT and advisory board obtained. They have authority to collect and spend money owing to proper constitution of their board.
“In the midstream in which Ukanafun and nine other local government areas fall in, they are for transportation of either gas or crude oil (gas pipelines) passing through their areas. Up till now, the regulatory authority – Nigerian Midstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority – has not concluded the law guiding the operations. The inauguration of the board by the government will ease release of the pending money from 2021 till date to the benefiting communities.
“At moment, no signatories to the document since the guideline is not concluded. The board will the Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer to open an account for the community. After this, signatories would decide on the project (s) and where to be sited. The money which is 5 per cent is intact.
“Once PIA is inaugurated and implemented, any community where a pipeline is vandalised would be blacklisted; but if the pipeline bursts by itself, then the company will pay compensation to the affected community.
“The Downstream concerns the marketers, filling stations among others in the industry,” Ebong explained.
Earlier, Ekong Udom, the Chairman of Ukanafun Professionals (Uk-Pro), had told Straightnews that the two communities collected N3 million compensation from the company on Thursday, August 15.
He admitted that the gas leak was ascribed to sabotage and vandalism by a third party, noting that neither the communities nor Accugas could have vandalised the pipeline.
The community Evangelist urged the company to cancel call-off contract, but to employ indigenes of the community as internal security to secure its pipeline.
He condemned Oando under East Horizon that earlier controlled gas production in the area for claiming to have installed Micro Gas Turbine worth N20 billion in the area in 2009, that turned out to be a fluke.
According to him, Savannah Energy Plc that sublet 80 per cent shares to Accugas, acquired all shares and merged East Horizon Gas.
However, the Chief Liaison Officer to Accugas in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Edem Ntekim speaking with Straightnews on telephone on Saturday, feigned knowledge of the company fulfilling its Corporate Social Responsibility obligations to the host communities.
In a question to him, Ntekim responded “I don’t know o” showing in clear terms that the company has failed to do its bidding to the host communities.
Panacea for the company- report
Meanwhile, an internal report that Straightnews stumbled on proffers panacea for the company to sustain its relationship with the host communities and maintain adequate production.
According to the report, “On 11/08/2024, a clear incident of sabotage and pipeline vandalism happened in Ikot Ukpong, one of the pipeline host community in Ukanafun LGA.
“Therefore, the Gas Pipeline Host Communities in Akwa Ibom State (AKS) make the following demands, after witnessing a series of pipeline vandalization, for immediate implementation to stop reoccurrence of the ugly incidence:
*Total cancellation of call-off contract to give room for Security, Surveillance and Right of Way (RoW) clearing employment: 4 local securities and 3 labourers to clear the gas pipeline RoW and keep it permanently visible for security.
*For effective security, the company should immediately create a local security unit in Savannah Energy Plc, that will employ some youths of the host communities for security and surveillance jobs on the pipeline RoW. This is the recommended structure for the local security unit:
A Chief Security Officer for Akwa Ibom State (AKS) from the host communities, 9 Supervising securities, 1 for each of the 9 affected LGAs in AKS and 4 local securities in each of the affected communities in AKS. In addition, the pathway of the gas pipelines should be a conspicuously demarcated with short steel pipes painted in reflective colors with uniform distance to avoid unauthorized human activities along the gas pipeline route.
*An immediate medical attention to be effected on the inhabitants of the affected communities and its environs.
*Adequate compensation to indigenes of the affected Host Communities as a result of the effects of the gas emission on human lives.
*Carry out a joint team assessment of selected stakeholders and representatives of Savannah Energy to ascertain the damage done to economic crops, plants and wildlife.
*Financial assistance be given to the Elders, Women and Youths of the affected communities.
*The Company should, as a matter of urgency, schedule for a high power meeting with the stakeholders of the Host Communities. The Local Government Chairman(Chief Security of the Local Government) and top management staff must be presence in the meeting; to dialogue on way forward to stop sabotage and pipeline vandalism.,” the report added.
