Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Lucky Irabor
Chief of Defense staff wades into Bayelsa community/oil firm rift
[From CHRIS EZE, Yenagoa]
Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor has promised to wade into the dispute between AITEO Eastern Exploration and Production Company and the Nembe Kingdom in Bayelsa in which the community claims the multinational oil firm owes it over N1 billion.
The Defense Chief made the commitment Saturday when he paid a courtesy visit to the palace of the Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, His Eminence, King Edmund Daukoru in Nembe.
Gen. Irabor told the Bayelsa monarch that he was at the palace to seek the support of the community in protecting oil installations and facilities as well as combat criminal activities in the area.
He further told the monarch that the visit to the palace was in recognized of the crucial role of traditional rulers, leaders of thought and opinion moulders in accommodating and strengthening the operations of the country’s armed forces.
He pointed out that any form of destruction of the nation’s oil investment was a direct attack on the future of the country’s economy, stressing that the visit was also to cement the partnership between the military and host communities, particularly in combating oil theft, kidnapping, sea robbery, piracy and other criminal acts in the region.
Remarking, the Amayanabo of Nembe Kingdom, King Edmund Dakoru, who is a former minister of petroleum thanked General Irabor for the visit and expressed appreciation to the Operation Delta Safe in the peaceful resolution of a crisis in March last year at the Nembe Creek during an oil spill.
The monarch regretted that AITEO which is owned by Nigerians who took over from Shell Petroleum Development Company in operating the oil wells in Nembe about few years ago have been unable to maintain facilities such as pipelines and well heads, resulting in frequent oil and gas pollution.
He also accused management of the oil firm of not positively engaging the people, stating that the community is owed over a billion naira in royalties and other payments.
The one time Secretary General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC, also noted that the AITEO has continued to decline summons from relevant authorities to dialogue with the community, an act which according to him threatens the peace in the area.
The Chief of Defense Staff was accompanied on the visit by the Commander, Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Aminu Hassan, other top military officers and the Group Executive Director, Upstream, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Adokiye Tombomieye, promised to bring all parties to the dialogue table.
The team had earlier visited Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State at Government House and inaugurated some patrol vans at the headquarters of the Joint Security Outfit in the Niger Delta in the Igbogene axis of the State capital.
