President Goodluck Jonathan's declaration of Anambra as an oil producing state is generating fresh controversy in neighbouring states of Kogi an Enugu who are also laying claim to the same oil wells.
When President Goodluck Jonathan's commissioned a refinery built by
Orient Petroleum at Aguleri Otu in Anambra East local government area of
Anambra State on Thursday, Anambra was designated as an oil producing
state. Indeed even while the commissioning was taking place, youth
groups across Kogi boarders with Enugu and Anambra, where the disputed
oil wells are located, were moblising their members for a meeting on the
matter, Weekly Trust learnt.
"What I can refer to as a presidential endorsement, ceding our land
to Anambra State, has further heightened tension in Odeke and some parts
of Ibaji land where Orient Petroleum Resources Plc are prospecting
crude oil. I have prevailed on the youth to be patient in the past, but I
don't know how far I can rein them now with this pronouncement," Chief
Dominic Uname, the Onu of Odeke told Weekly Trust on phone yesterday
when the paper sought his view on the development.
Abah said it was wrong for the President to 'jump to conclusion" on
the matter even when the ownership of the oil wells that will feed the
refinery is still in dispute. "If you check around the refinery, you
will notice that giant pipes supply its crude from several kilometres.
The Anambra Well (1), which currently feeds the refinery, is on Odeke
land in Ibaji local government area of Kogi state.
"It is wrong for anybody, much less Mr. President, to give Anambra the status it does not deserve," he noted.
Abah added "the mere fact that Anambra indigenes are the owners of
the companies which are involved in the oil exploration activities, it
is now claiming ownership of the land within which the oil wells are
located and that Anambra State Government has demonstrated this wrongful
claim both in print and electronic media.
"This is despite the fact that all the three states, Kogi, Enugu and
Anambra, are awaiting the final report of the National Boundary
Commission in respect of the demarcation between these three states.
He drew attention to the report on the "Field Tracing and Provisional
Demarcation of Anambra - Kogi Interstate Boundary" produced in March,
2008, by the Joint Field Team, constituted by the National Boundary
Commission for Anambra and Kogi Inter -State Boundary, stating that from
the report there is no way Anambra State can jump over Enugu State to
own location one (1) in Kogi State.
The youth leader's position was buttressed by the state government
who also claimed the ownership of oil wells in dispute. Few hours after
the President's pronouncement, the Kogi State government step forward to
stake a claim to the oil wells in contention, while also declaring that
the state "will soon join the league of oil producing states."
The deputy governor, Mr. Yomi Awoniyi told Weekly Trust in an
interview that wells in contention were first prospected by ELF and that
compensation were paid to the host communities which were all in Kogi
state today. He said since the ELF operation, there have never been any
boundary adjustment and that the contentious wells are in Kogi state.
"It is just a matter of making sure that proper document are checked
to further prove that the genesis of that oil well resided with Kogi
state in terms of compensation and to even access it", he noted.
Weekly Trust reports that the controversy surrounding the ownership
of the oil wells and indeed land within the border communities of the
contending states has been age-long.
Tension has been building between communities around the borders
since the boundary demarcation between Northern and Eastern regions in
1927. The tension degenerated into serious bloodbath in 1994 between the
people of Aguleri Otu, the Orient's refinery is located and Obale in
Ibaji local government area. While protracted war between Aguleri in
Anambara and Umuleri in Enugu had rages for years.
Weekly Trust learnt that several wells were discovered in an area
referred to as Anambra Basin, which includes the expanse of land
accommodating the present Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State. The
place has a river as it is boundary with part of Anambra North-West and
Enugu State.
Four of the wells, according to Orient Petroleum, are said to be
currently at exploration stage in the area. While Orient said the bulk
of the deposit are in Anambra state, Committee on Oil and Gas
Exploration in Ibaji land contended that the area the company is
refereeing to as part of Anambra, is indeed in Kogi state.
Orient Petroleum chairman, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, speaking yesterday at
the ceremony to kick-start his company's oil refinery in Anambra State,
Orient Petroleum chairman Chief Emeka Anyaoku said the controversy over
ownership of the oil deposits has been resolved and that the 'bulk' of
the deposits are within Anambra territory.
He however added that any state where oil was found and drilled by Orient Petroleum would be accorded due recognition.
"There was misconception that the oil well was not entirely in
Anambra, that has been resolved through the map of Nigeria. Let me
quickly state that the two oil blocks encompassed parts of Enugu, Kogi,
Delta and Edo states but bulk of it is in Anambra," Anyaoku said.
He said in addition to the private shareholders, other bodies that
have shares in the company include Anambra, Rivers, Kogi and the 21
local government areas of the state.
However, in a swift reaction, the Enugu State Commissioner for
Information, Mr Chuks Ugwoke refuted claims by the Management of Orient
Petroleum Plc (OPR) that the lingering contention between it and the
company over some oil wells located in the state, has been resolved.
He said that though the state government will continue to encourage
Orient Petroleum Resources Plc and other private sector investments in
the state or elsewhere in the country, it has become necessary to
correct the wrong impression created by the Managing Director of the
company that the lingering issues between it and the government had been
resolved.
The dispute revolves around the continued refusal of the company to
acknowledge that it has oil wells in Enugu State and not Anambra state
alone and the need to reflect the existence of oil wells in the three
communities in all its communications and instruments.
Also, Engineer Daniel Omotola, the oil gas committee chairman in
Ibaji land accused Orient of merely trying to re-draw the boundary
between the affected states by alleging that two of the oil wells are in
Anambra and Enugu states.
"On our visit to these oil wells, it was discovered that Location one
(1) that was regarded as Anambra River one (1) and purported to be in
Anambra state is traditionally owned by Odeke community in Ibaji Local
Government Area of Kogi State. It should also be noted that Anambra
River (which is known as Imabolo River in Iglala land) takes its course
from Ankpa in Kogi State and run through Igala land before running into
River Niger at Onono, he noted in an interview with Weekly Trust.
The committee drew attention to the communiqué issued jointly "by His
Royal Majesty, the Attah Igala, Late Alhaji Dr. Aliyu O. Obaje, the Eze
of Aguleri, Eze Igwe Chukwudi Madukasi, the Igwe of Ogurugu, Igwe
Chukwuemeka Ogbasi in respect of the Obale/Aguleri crisis on 13th April
1994 at the Atta Igala's Palace, Idah, which the Eze of Aguleri
categorically admitted that the area in dispute is Atta Igala's
territory."
Paragraph five (5) of the communiqué, it said, further stated that
"the Forest Reserve which is one of the areas then in dispute is shared
amongst Obale, Igah, Ojoh, Ogurugu and Odeke. No mention is made of any
community belonging to Anambra State."
Kogi State Governor Idris Wada through his deputy, Yomi Awoniyi said
the state government "is doing everything humanly possible to resolve
the issues surrounding the location of the oil wells with the contending
states."
Weekly Trust reports that Orient had obtained licence for blocks it
referred to as OPLs 915 and 916, which it said include a "small portion
of Kogi State," in a letter to the former governor of the state Alhaji
Ibrahim Idris dated August 8, 2011.
The company had in the letter intimated the state of its intention to
commence the production testing of already drilled wells and
acquisition of about 640 square kilometers of high resolution 3D seismic
data in its oil blocks within the period.
It, therefore, urged the government to "kindly inform the local
government authorities and the communities at the border of Anambra and
Kogi States that as stakeholders, they are expected to establish and
maintain a warm and cordial relationship with the seismic survey
contractor throughout the survey."
The company also requested for large expanse of land from the state
government where it will establish a depot that will serve the northern
part of the country.
The state government has since allocated the land for the proposed depot in Lokoja, the state capital.
While efforts are on the resolve the lingering face-off, perhaps the
promise by Anyoaku that his company will accord due recognition to any
state where oil is found and drilled would go a long way to calming the
fraying nerves.
However, Omotola said, what the people of Ibaji local government area
and indeed the state government feared most is to be forced to play the
second fiddle in the benefit drivable from the resources that belong to
them.
Chief Unane promised that he will do his best to prevail on the youth
not to take law into their hand and that he will reach out to the state
government and the Ajofe, John Egwemi, the Eze of Ibaji on the next
line of action to take on the matter.
Source: Daily Trust
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