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The Speaker of Ijaw Youth Council 4th Mobile Parliament who also double as the Personal Assistant to the Honorable Minister for State Petroleum Chief Timipiri Sylva ๐ฅ๐. ๐๐ผ๐ป. ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฟ. ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ผ๐๐ผ yesterday the 28th of August visited the host communities of OML25 particularly ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป-๐๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ on a Fact Finding Mission.
On arrival the speaker was received by chiefs, elders, women and youths of the host communities. He was later taken round the two communities by the President of the National Youth Council Of Nigerian (NYCN) ๐๐บ๐ฏ. ๐ฆ๐๐ธ๐๐ฏ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ธ๐๐ฏ๐ผ to see for himself how degraded and neglected communities hosting a multinational oil firm which drills oil and gas worth billions of naira from the same territory.
The speaker while addressing the communities categorically stated that ordinarily ๐๐ฌ๐ would have been the body shutting down the oil facility. He lauded the communities for their peaceful disposition towards the pursuit of their agitation. He stated however that the ๐๐ฌ๐ is fully in support of the shut down haven seen for himself the level of underdevelopment.
The speaker frowned at the poor state of learning, absence of medical facilities, electricity, access road and lack of portable water which are basic to the life of inhabitants of any environment. He stated that the body will take all necessary action to that effect. One of which is issue a communique and make out plans and time were the traditional rulers, chiefs and stakeholders of the host communities will have a round table discussion with the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐๐บ where they will lay their plight and agitation before the minister.
The Amayanabo of Offoin-Ama ๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ถ๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐๐ธ๐๐ฏ๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ป ๐ข๐ณ๐ณ๐ผ in his response thanked the National Body of the IYC on their visit to Offoin-Ama on a Fact Finding Mission. The Amayanabo while speaking stated that the community can no longer allow Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to operate in their community haven failed to carry out any meaningful project in the community.
He however used the medium to call on the divestment of the platform to an indigenous oil firm particularly
๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ๐ผ๐ถ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฑ.
๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฒ๐ณ ๐ข๐ธ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฑ, who spoke on behalf of ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ lamented their displeasure against the operation of SPDC, that despite operating in the host community for over 40years there was nothing to show regarding infrastructural development. As a result of the failure of SPDC to carry out its corporate social responsibilities the community deems it fit as part of its right of first refusal to stop the operation of SPDC.
The Chief also demanded that the operational license of OML 25 be withdrawn from SPDC and given to an indigenous company which is Belemaoil, owned and managed by ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฟ. ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ-๐ฅ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ง๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ป๐ฟ. for there to be a replication of what he is already doing in his operation in Kula and Idama communities were they correctly operate.
The President of National Youth Council of Nigeria ๐๐บ๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐๐ธ๐๐ฏ๐ผ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ด๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ธ๐๐ฏ๐ผ in his speech, appreciated the Speaker of ๐๐ฌ๐ Parliament for finding time to come down with his team to see things for themselves. He said it’s no story that Offoin-Ama and Belema communities has suffered over the years despite the presence of Shell. He also sized the opportunity in appealing with the Speaker of ๐๐ฌ๐ to ensure that the
๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น๐๐บ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ถ ๐ฆ๐ถ๐น๐๐ฎ ๐ธ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฝ๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐.
The visit was concluded with a visit to the Palace of the Amayanabo of Kula Kingdom ๐๐ฅ๐ . ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ ๐๐น๐ฒ๐ธ๐ถ, the speaker and his entourage were received by the Prince of kula Kingdom, ๐๐๐ก๐๐ช๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐.
Comr Kelvin Briggs
S A ON MEDIA TO THE PRESIDENT NATIONAL YOUTH COUNCIL OF NIGERIA.
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