AS oil and gas prospecting in the Kolmani River II well of the Benue Trough in the Upper Benue basin was officially flagged off over the weekend by President Muhammadu Buhari, Communities of Barambu Village in Akko and Alkaleri Local Government Areas of Gombe and Bauchi State respectively have demanded from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to as a matter of necessity pay them compensation for their lands taken for the exploration having been denied their sources of livelihood.
Members of the communities made the plea in an interview with newsmen in a peaceful demonstration on the sidelines of the flag-off of the Spud-in of Kolmani River-II Well Gongola Basin, Upper Benue Trough done by the President declaring that since their farmlands were taken with a promise that they will be compensated but not a dime had been given to any of them, over one and a half years after.
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Some of the residents who spoke told newsmen that they have been forced to stay without food because they no longer have farmlands to cultivate their crops as narrated by Ladi Naboth who lamented bitterly as she spoke with newsmen that: “we are in the village and not the city and they know our major occupation is farming, we cannot eat if we don’t farm our food.”
She pleaded that “We plead with them to pity us and pay us the value of our farmlands which is being used for the Oil exploration. We are happy that this has been found in our locality and we will benefit from it but before we start benefiting from it, they should pay us so that we can have what to eat and survive.”
She further said that besides the compensation for their farmlands, they request that hospitals be built for them because according to her, “right now, if we have an emergency, such patient will have to be rushed to Gombe, Alkaleri, Bauchi or Pindiga. If we had a hospital or maternity, we won’t go through that stress.”
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