The oil-producing community of Aja-Omaetan, located in the Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, has issued a threat to take legal action against Chevron Nigeria Limited if it is excluded from the planned Host Community Development Trust Fund by the oil company.
In their plea to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Aja-Omaetan is urging the regulatory authorities to intervene in this matter.
Protest letters and pre-action notices were presented by the community through their legal representative, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-Geoege, SAN, directed towards Chevron and the Chief Executive Officers of NMDPRA and NUPRC.
Copies of these documents were made accessible to the media in Abuja on Friday.
The community alleges that Chevron is planning to exclude them from the list of beneficiaries in the proposed trust fund due to past disputes relating to oil spillages.
Emphasizing the regulatory role of NMDPRA and NUPRC, the Aja-Omaetan community has warned that if these agencies do not intervene with Chevron, they will join both parties in the legal proceedings.
A portion of the letter reads: “Our client is one of the communities accommodating the Crude Oil and Gas Pipelines of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Dibi field, Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State and has been host to Chevron Nigeria Limited facilities for years without any benefits from Chevron Nigeria Limited.
“On July 14, 2011, our client obtained a judgment from the Delta High Court in Suit No: W/105/2010 (copy herewith attached) against the Governor of Delta State, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), and one other, wherein the status of Aja-Omaetan Community as an oil-producing community was firmly established beyond any equivocation.
“The Delta State Government and the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) among others, have since complied with the court order/judgment by recognizing and according our client all privileges and rights as an oil-producing community.
“Our client is aware that the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and Chevron Nigeria Limited are currently at the verge of establishing the ‘Warri Kingdom Onshore Host Communities Development Trust’ as required under the Petroleum Industry Act No. 6, 2021.
“However, our client’s findings show that it has been maliciously excluded from the list of qualified and entitled communities in Dibi Field in an attempt to punish her because our client took Chevron Nigeria Limited to court over crude Oil spillages.
“Our client has written to Chevron Nigeria Limited to no avail, hence this complaint to the authority (NMDPRA).”
