Delta: Youths Shut Down NPDC's Jones Creek Flowstations

Hundreds of protesters drawn from Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta state on Thursday shut down Jones Creek Oil Field flowstation owned by Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, (NPDC).

NPDC's Jones Creek Flow Station produces a total of 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day, thus the shut down will reduce the nation’s aggregate oil production output.

Bigpenreports learnt that the shut down followed alleged breach of agreement by Nest Oil Plc, a major contractor to NPDC and Neconde Energy with the host communities in the area.

Hundreds of youths, women and the elderly drawn from Jones Creek flow station host communities included Kokodiagbene, Okerenkoko, Akpatagbegbe, Akpataegbemu and Omadino communities, all situated in Warri South West had in the wee hours of Thursday, seized the facility, forcing the workers to vacate the premises.

It was gathered that the communities had reached an agreement that Nest Oil Plc would only embark on construction work, which includes laying of pipes but would not hook up to the well heads until the approval of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with over five communities which are host to the flow station.

But Nest Oil Plc, an indigenous oil firm had allegedly reneged on that undertaking not to connect dug pipelines to the well head ‘’and  secretly embarked on the hook up which the communities uncovered’’.

"We have decided to shutdown oil activities due to the fraudulent activities of NPDC. There was no MoU with the communities before operations.

"Besides, the companies continue to lie to the communities that they will engage them. Till now, the communities have remained in the dark. The communities do not know their fates’’, the source added.

Confirning the development, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, an environmental activist and spokesperson of the host communities, faulted the oil firms for abandoning their Corporate Social Responsibilities to the host communities while warning Nest Oil Plc to pull out of the area to avoid further crisis.

"Our position is that Nest Oil Plc has not lived up to expectations. The company dumped the earlier agreement reached between the communities in the presence of security agents.

‘’They are hiding under the cover of security agencies to enter the area and operate. So, we are appealing to the federal government to call NPDC/ Neconde to order, to avoid the escalation of the crisis. What they are doing is because of the security presence otherwise they would not have violated the agreement.

‘’We are calling on NPDC and  Neconde managements as a matter of urgency to call for a meeting to discuss their Freedom to Operates (FTOs) in the area, otherwise they should pack out of our communities. These two indigenous firms have fragrantly and fraudulently entered Jones Creek without permission from the communities", Mulade added.

He however urged the federal government to dig into the activities of NPDC, Neconde Energy and its major contractor, Nest Oil Plc,  alleging that the award of contracts have not been following  due process  and the local content policy of government.

They however commended the Army personnel of 3 Battalion for their role in sustaining peace.

Several efforts to reach NPDC management for comment proved abortive.