PIA Storm: CSO Petitions Reps, Demands Justice Over Niger Delta Oil Well Operations

As protests over the indiscriminate exploitation of oil wells in the Niger Delta continue to intensify, Esit Eket Local Government Area, one of the oil-bearing communities in Akwa Ibom State, has petitioned relevant authorities over its exclusion from the Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCDTF) established by Tulcan Energy Resources Limited.
It was gathered that Tulcan Energy Resources Limited, the company currently vested with the licence to operate Oil Mining Lease (OML) 14 at Ntak Inyang in Esit Eket, has commenced exploration activities without making available an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for effective monitoring and evaluation of its operations, as required under international best practices and the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021.
The protest, our correspondent learnt, is being led on behalf of the affected communities by the Network Advancement Programme for Poverty and Disaster Risks Reduction (NAPDDRR), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) committed to environmental sustainability, transparency, and humanitarian justice in the Niger Delta.
Consequently, the Executive Director of NAPDDRR, Hon. Emem Edoho, who spoke with our correspondent in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, on Wednesday, disclosed that a formal petition had been forwarded to the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities, chaired by Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Robinson Dekor.
Edoho further revealed that the petition had already elicited an immediate response from the Committee Chairman, who assured the affected communities that a tripartite dialogue involving the Committee, the host communities, and Tulcan Energy would be convened to address and resolve the looming crisis.
In the petition titled “Protest Over the Exclusion of Esit Eket Host Communities from Tulcan Energy HCDT,” the communities expressed concern over the adverse socio-economic and environmental impacts of oil exploration activities in the area and called for urgent intervention to prevent further marginalisation.
According to the petition:
“NAPDDRR, an environmental and transparency rights organisation operating in the Niger Delta, hereby protests the exclusion of Esit Eket host communities from the Tulcan Energy Host Community Development Trust (HCDT).”
The petition further stated that the OML 14 Stubbs Creek operations are historically and traditionally situated within the Unyenghe, Ntak Inyang, and Ine Akpautong communities in Esit Eket Local Government Area.
“The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) Host Communities Development Regulations 2022 mandate settlors to establish Host Community Development Trusts to ensure that host communities directly benefit from petroleum operations carried out within their territories.”Edoho said .
Edoho, however, lamented that Tulcan Energy Resources Limited, the operator of OML 14, excluded Ntak Inyang and Ine Akpautong communities from the composition of its Host Community Development Trust.
According to him, such exclusion runs contrary to the spirit and intent of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, which was enacted to address historical injustices, promote equity and inclusion, and foster peaceful coexistence between petroleum operators and host communities.
He further noted that the company’s action was inconsistent with established precedents in the area, pointing out that the Seplat Energy/NNPCL Joint Venture EMOIMEE Host Community Development Trust covers Mbo, Esit Eket, and six other local government areas.
He also referenced the Universal Energy/Savannah Energy Host Community Development Trust, which includes Esit Eket and Mbo Local Government Areas in line with the Privy Council Judgment of 1918, a legal decision that, according to him, further affirms the rights and interests of Esit Eket communities in relation to Stubbs Creek operations.
“On behalf of the marginalised people of Ntak Inyang and Ine Akpautong communities in Esit Eket LGA, we demand an urgent review and revision of the composition of the Tulcan Energy HCDT to ensure the inclusion of Ntak Inyang and Ine Akpautong communities,” Edoho stated.
The communities therefore called on the House of Representatives Committee on Host Communities to intervene and ensure that Tulcan Energy complies fully with Sections 235–240 of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 and the NUPRC Host Communities Development Regulations 2022.
According to Edoho, such intervention would address what he described as a miscarriage of justice and the economic exclusion currently being experienced by affected host communities in Esit Eket.
Copies of the petition obtained by our correspondent were addressed to the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC),the Commissioner for Environment and Mineral Resources, Akwa Ibom State; the Managing Director of Tulcan Energy Resources Limited; Senator Ekong Sampson; the member representing the constituency in the House of Representatives; and the Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum in the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly.