The king of Eleme Kingdom in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State, Philip Obele has raised fears that Niger Delta communities may be prone to earthquakes in the near future as a result of the oil and gas exploration in the region.
The monarch stated this on Thursday, at the stakeholders engagement organized by the management of the Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) in Port Harcourt.
PINL is the company contracted by the federal government to provide security on the Trans Niger Pipeline that runs through Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia States, terminating at Bonny.
The monarch contended that the earth is made up of layers which include oil and gas, expressing worry that the void being created by extracting the layers formed by oil and gas could result to earthquakes in future since nothing is being used to refill the layers.
“The earth is made up of layers. And one of the layers is oil and gas. But as they are taking the oil and gas are they filling back in case of tomorrow? ” he asked.
Obele lamented that the Niger Delta has given so much to Nigeria with little or nothing in return
According to him, the oil pollution in Ejamah and Ebubu in Eleme Local Government Area is so bad that no technology can clear it, same situation he said applies to Nsisioken in Ogale, Eleme where benzene concentration was discovered to be the worst in world history.
He urged the representative of the national security adviser at the forum to take the concerns of the oil communities to the federal government for appropriate responses and reaction.
The monarch however, commended the management of PINL for distinguishing themselves among the companies operating in the region by operating an open door policy through regular interactions and communication with host communities.
Earlier in his address, the Community Relations Consultant of PINL, Akpos Mezeh said the essence of the meeting was to appraise the journey so far.
“We all started the journey together and it’s only proper that we come together from time to time for us to assess ourselves, whether we are making progress or not.
“And I think the essence of this exercise is to improve on whatever efforts you are putting in,” he said
According to him, PINL mandate to protect the Trans Niger Pipeline has been achieved through engagements with the host communities.
He said the collaborative approach has not only led to stronger relations but also forged a united front against pipeline vandalism.
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“Apart from the community stakeholders, we also have a mandate to reach out to other groups. We have our non -state actors, local government chairmen, government security agencies, and regulatory agencies.
“In collaboration with the communities and government security agencies we can measure our achievements as thus ;
We have carried out social investments based on needs assessment done mitigating the socio-economic drivers of oil theft while promoting sustainable empowerments of our communities.
“We have also ensured that we restore the environment hitherto destroyed by incessant crude oil theft with the associated hazards.
“Also, we have achieved near-zero infractions on the Trans Niger Pipeline and of course, that is giving us increased crude oil production and also it has bolstered investors confidence in our economy with the attendant revenue increase,” he said.
