Tension In Udu As Community Issues 21-Day Ultimatum To NEPL To Commence Construction Of Abura Flow Station

PORT HARCOURT – Emadadja Community in Udu Local Government Area of Delta State has issued a 21-day ultimatum to NNPC Explora­tion and Production Limited (NEPL) to commence con­struction of the flow station at Abura or prepare to vacate the area. This decision was commu­nicated in a letter addressed to the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), signed by Ambassador Festus Oshemughen and Comrade Christopher Origbo, the Pres­ident General and Secretary General of Emadadja Com­munity, respectively. In the letter, community representatives stated, “It has been a long time since oil op­erations began in Emadadja Community.

Throughout this period, the oil extracted here has been routed to Otu-Jeremi in Ughelli South LGA. Despite numerous efforts to establish a proposed flow station to as­sess production capacity over the years, these attempts have proven unsuccessful, leading to concerns that our benefits are being undermined. Af­ter much discussion, it was agreed that the flow station should be built as soon as pos­sible; however, we have seen no progress to date.



” The letter further empha­sised, “In light of these con­cerns, a community assembly meeting was convened, attend­ed by all Executive Committee members, youth, women, and elders. Key issues contributing to the delay in constructing the flow station were discussed, and we found them deeply troubling.” The community expressed their frustration regarding “the hardship and underdevel­opment faced by our residents amidst abundant resources.

“We have concluded that former NPDC, now NEPL, and their partners show little inter­est in the community’s devel­opment and the welfare of its people. Thus, we have resolved to give a 21-day ultimatum for immediate mobilization to the site for the construction of the flow station. “We also demand the com­pletion of all MoU projects that were agreed upon before the implementation of the PIA as well as completion of the drilling processes for Wells 13 and 14, which have been aban­doned.

” Also, they called on NNPC to urgently direct NEPL to revoke any contract with the company currently engaged for the construction of the OML 65 flow station and en­sure the proper management of the field. The community represen­tatives voiced their concerns regarding a joint venture partnership that occurred in London on August 3, 2022, stat­ing that it holds no interest in developing Phase 1 of the ap­proved OML 65 project. As a result, they do not ac­cept any further operations from these companies in their community.

“This position must be taken seriously, or we cannot guarantee the security and safety of OML 65 oil explora­tion on our land,” they warned. They said copies of the let­ter have also been forwarded to the Governor of Delta State, the Commanding Officer of 63 Brigade in Asaba, the Com­missioner of Police in Delta State, the Managing Director of NEPL, the Executive Chair­man of Udu LGA, and other relevant authorities..