Kula community in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area, Rivers, one of the host communities of the Shell Petroleum Development Company in the Niger Delta has asked Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings to inherit all liabilities incurred by the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
The community made this known at a media briefing in Port Harcourt following the recent takeover of SPDC joint venture operations by Renaissance.
Renaissance, a consortium of indigenous and international oil firms, acquired SPDC following recent divestment by Shell UK from onshore operations.
Spokesman of Kula people, Chief Anabs Sara-Igba, said that SPDC incurred liabilities while operating OML-25, an oil facility in the community.
He said the liabilities followed decades of oil exploration by Shell in the area.
According to him OML-25, with a production capacity of 45,000 barrels of crude oil per day, had been shut down for about 15 years.
“This followed gross neglect and failure of the firm to employ, undertake social responsibility and environmental preservation projects for more than 67 years.
“We insist that the new operator should inherit all liabilities of SPDC before they will be allowed to operate.
Read also: N/Delta Women fault divestment by SPDC without environment remediation
Oil Spill Disaster in Rivers State: NIMASA begins monitoring as SPDC pipeline ruptures
SPDC ‘s LiveWIRE program turns out 9,000 Niger Delta youths as entrepreneurs
”We are requesting for a stakeholders’ engagement with them to enable us to understand the company’s obligations and models of implementation.
“These moves will enable us to avoid the unfair treatment meted out on the community by SPDC,” he said.
Sara-Igbe urged the Federal Government to ensure prompt environmental remediation activities by the operators to restore the ecosystem and livelihoods in the community
On his part, the President, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr Sukubo Sara-Igbe, expressed concern that the new company had already inherited SPDC staff.
He said, “Retaining SPDC staff who were complicit in the dispute with the host communities may undermine trust and sincere engagement,”