Shell and the Ogbia communities were forced into negotiations at the headquarters of the local JTF to address the closure of the Kolo Creek flow station.
Aggrieved members of the Ogbia community in Bayelsa State have forcefully shut down oil and gas production at the Kolo Creek oil field over allegations of Shell’s non-compliance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
The four host communities responsible for halting production since Monday are Imiringi, Otuasega, Oruma and Elebele—all located in the Ogbia Local Government Area (LGA) of the State.
Shell and the Ogbia communities were forced into negotiations at the headquarters of the local JTF to address the closure of the Kolo Creek flow station.
SaharaReporters learned that production activities were not only suspended but the facility has also been locked and its workers sacked.
The Ogbia communities’ claim that Shell has not followed through with the social obligations outlined in the MOU between them and Shell.
Chief Innocent Afagha maintained that the communities took the decision to shut down the Kolo Creek oil production because Shell was insensitive to the difficulties facing the area.
Chief Afagha told SaharaReporters that “all efforts to dialogue with [Shell] have failed… we were pushed to the wall.”
The spokesman for Shell, Mr Joseph Obari, declined to comment on the development when contacted by SaharaReporters.