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Akwa Ibom: Host Community Women Protest Neglect By Septa Energy

November 30, 2011

Over 500 women from the Edo community of Akwa Ibom’s EsitEket local government today blocked the access road to a gas plant under construction in the area by Septa Energy.

Over 500 women from the Edo community of Akwa Ibom’s EsitEket local government today blocked the access road to a gas plant under construction in the area by Septa Energy.

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The protest took place at Septa Energy’s Central Processing Facility in Edo, and later shifted to the village square. The movement of vehicles and workers into the site was disrupted.

The protest, according to SaharaReporters sources, started at about 3am and lasted till 7am when the Community Liaison Officer of Septa Energy addressed the crowd at the EdoAtai Village square.

The aggrieved women who carried placards and cassava leaves symbolising their farms, were protesting the non-implementation of community development projects earlier promised to the communities.

They claimed that most of them were deceived into parting with their farmlands in exchange for scholarships for their children, job opportunities and poverty alleviation schemes which have proved elusive.

The appeals of armed security men drafted to secure the facilities of Septa Energy fell on deaf ears as the women insisted on speaking with officials of the firm.

Mrs. Nkoyo Uyongnkpo, one of the leaders of the women, said that they were frustrated and disappointed that Septa Energy was not meeting its obligations to the host community.

“We received the company when they came calling and we surrendered our farmlands to provide space for the proposed gas plant but discovered that the company disappeared into thin air and what we now see are strange companies providing services to Septa which is yet to fulfill their social and legal obligations to women,” she said.

She added that none of the companies has cared to meet the women of the community, “and that prompted us to do a peaceful demonstration because we feel short changed as the economic empowerment packages they promised are not forthcoming.”

Deaconess Grace Akpata, Secretary, Edo Women Council, said that the community lacks potable water while the rural roads in the area were totally dilapidated and begging for attention. 

“We are speaking by our action that we cannot take things lying low as stakeholders in the project, we are simply asking for our rights as spelt out in the MOU between the operators of the Uquo marginal oil fields and the community,” Akpata said.

Uquo Marginal Oil field was awarded to Frontier Oil Limited, an indigenous oil prospecting and exploration firm but it failed to find crude oil in commercial quantities in the oil block after an unsuccessful drilling operation which reportedly gulped $60 million dollars.

Handicapped by lack of funds, Frontier, which is wholly-owned by Nigerians, then farmed out the gas operations at the Uquo field to Septa Energy.

Investigations by SaharaReporters found that Septa Energy entered into a deal with the government of Governor Goodswill to purchase gas for the power plant which was being promoted by the government.

Governor Akpabio made advance payments for the anticipated gas with public funds and the foreign firm began to construct the gas plant and pipeline network with the advance payment while the state  are being informed, wrongly, that the government has attracted foreign investors who are fleecing the treasury by proxy for government officials.

When contacted on the telephone, Mr Ini Johny-Abraham, Community Liaison Officer of Septa Energy, confirmed the development but declined comments on the allegations being leveled against Septa and its project contractors.

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