The quest by the Isoko ethnic nationality in Delta State to channel their share of funds from the 3 percent Petroleum Industry Act (PIA 2021) and invest it in gas-powered alternative energy is being jeopardized by the oil companies in Isoko North and Isoko South councils.
This followed enquiries to the companies by the Isoko Development Union (IDU), which has been frustrated by the oil companies’ failure to disclose how much is due to the Isoko nation since the PIA law came into effect.
IDU expressed concerns that the oil companies’ continued refusal to disclose the actual figures will scuttle its plans to provide alternation power to Isoko nation to revive businesses and make way for the establishment of industries in Isoko to create employment and arrest youth restiveness.
Worried by the perennial outage that envelops the area on a yearly basis due to the inability of the DisCos to provide power, IDU decided to explore the provision of alternative energy to its citizens by converting the abundant gas being flared by the oil companies to electricity.
It would be recalled that IDU’s quest for the provision of alternative energy is fueled by the Federal Government’s neglect of Isoko people as a major oil-producing ethnic nation that has no single government presence of infrastructure or political patronage in terms of appointment of Isoko people into any federal organ or position, whether as minister, diplomat or head of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
Uzere, a community in Isoko, is the second location where oil was discovered shortly after Oloibiri in Bayelsa State in commercial quantity. Whereas Oloibiri’s oil wells have since dried up, the wells in Uzere are still waxing strong as major oil and gas hubs that supply huge quantities of hydrocarbons that continue to fuel the national economy.
Yet Uzere and the entire Isoko nation are enveloped in gross darkness. This is also the case in other Isoko communities that are hosts to oil facilities, from Olomoro to Oleh, Irri to Ozoro, Ellu and Ovrode, among others.
To provide alternative energy for Isoko, IDU set up a 10-man Committee on Alternative Energy Supply to Isoko Nation in July 2023, headed by Onwo Nelson, with Edafe Asedegbega as secretary. Other members of the committee are co-chairman, Godspower E. Agbuduta, Oba Obi, Vincent Edewhor, Igelige Morrison, Adonis Ubuwere, Dan Odhomo, Michael Oke and Morister Idibra. The committee recently submitted its report in the form of a communiqué to IDU.
“Harmonising all our projects in 2024 into electricity will deliver the needed result, but without electricity, we cannot develop as an ethnic nation. The PIA 2021, which was signed into law in June 2022 grants 3 percent of OPEX to the host communities.
It also stipulates that the 3 percent must be spent on the host communities after a ‘Need Assessment’ is conducted. The manager of the 3 percent is “Host Communities Trust Fund”.
“We don’t need anyone to tell us what our number one ‘Need’ is other than regular electricity supply. Hence, we have written to the operators in Isoko nation namely: Heritage, Oando/Agip, First Hydrocarbon, NEPL (formerly NPDC) and NUPRC (formerly DPR) for them to reveal how much they’re owing Isoko as guaranteed by PIA, but until now (January 2024) we have not gotten any reply,” a communiqué issued by the committee reads.
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Speaking on the development, Chairman, Committee on Alternative Energy Supply to Isoko Nation, Onwo Nelson, said: “The Federal Government stands to gain a lot from the monetisation of the gas needed to power the IPP Isoko is planning to build.
“Gas flaring will be reduced in our communities to avert the health hazards associated with indiscriminate gas flaring currently being undertaken by these oil companies without regard to the health of Isoko people, which is a crime on its own. However, all these noble intentions are being threatened by the oil companies’ refusal to respond to letters written to them.
“The PIA is an Act of Parliament of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They should not wait until they are taken to court to respect the constitution or their operations are disrupted through agitation by communities, because the PIA 2021 is a constitutional matter and the odds favour us in our quest to use our own money to develop our nation.
What is even more annoying is these oil companies only take and take and do nothing to help their host communities live better lives. How can Isoko be in darkness when oil companies operate in our lands, destroy farms and flare gas to harm our people?
“They should learn from the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited operating in Bonny Kingdom. NLNG gives Bonny Kingdom constant electricity that the people pay for. Why can’t they do so? We now want to give ourselves electricity and so they should not stand in our way by refusing to give us our own money.
“They should not be the clog in the wheel of Isoko’s progress. How do they even sleep at night when they know that their host communities are in total darkness while they flare gas every day that constitutes a hazard to their hosts and the environment their hosts live in?”
