Kula community in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State has given conditions for Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings to resume exploration activities on OML 25.
The community gave the conditions when it addressed a news conference on Thursday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
Among other demands, it wants Renaissance Africa Energy Holdings to inherit all liabilities incurred by the Shell Petroleum Development Company.
Renaissance, a consortium of indigenous and international oil firms, acquired SPDC following recent divestment by Shell UK from onshore operations.
Speaking on behalf of Kula people, Chief Anabs Sara-Igba said that SPDC incurred liabilities while operating OML 25, an oil facility in the community.
Sara-Igbe further said that liabilities arising from decades of oil exploration by Shell halted resumption of operations on the facility.
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He said that OML 25, with a production capacity of 45,000 barrels of crude oil per day, had been shut down for about 15 years.
He said: “This followed gross neglect and failure of the firm to employ, undertake social responsibility and environmental preservation projects for more than 67 years.
“We insist that the new operator should inherit all liabilities of SPDC before they will be allowed to operate.
“We are requesting for a stakeholders’ engagement with them to enable us to understand the company’s obligations and models of implementation.
“These moves will enable us to avoid the unfair treatment meted out on the community by SPDC.”
Sara-Igbe urged the Federal Government to ensure prompt environmental remediation activities by the operators to restore the ecosystem and livelihoods in the community
Also speaking, the President, National Youth Council of Nigeria, Sukubo Sara-Igbe, expressed worries that the new company had already inherited SPDC staff.
“Retaining SPDC staff who were complicit in the dispute with the host communities may undermine trust and sincere engagement,” he said.
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