THE House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated its committees on Local content and legislative compliance to investigate the activities of Total E & P Nigeria limited on the alleged deliberate neglect, underdevelopment and abandonment of its corporate legal responsibilities under the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, NOGICD, 2010.
The House also mandated the committee on local content components of the projects in the area with a view to ensuring that Total E&P Nigeria Limited does include the youth of Andoni in its recruitment process of both graduate and non-graduate staff, award contracts to Andoni indigenes, embark upon capacity building and community development projects and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.
The House resolution followed a motion sponsored by Honourable Awaji-Inombek Abiante.
In his motion, Honourable Abiante recalled that Total Exploration and production limited, formerly known as Elf Petroleum Nigeria Limited established the Amenan/Kpono oil platform as far back as 1990 in the community and the adjoining territorial waters as well as drilled several inherent and associated oil wells in the area including Usmano, Asobo etc
“The Amenan/Kpono fields established upon Oil Mining Lease (OML) 99 and 70 is one of the largest conventional offshore developments in West Africa and from official records, from 2003 till date and at a rate of 125,000 bpd, Total has produced over 500 million barrels of crude oil from the said facility as well as a larger quantity of gas from the field.
“Out of over 50 contractors and subcontractors that worked for Total in establishing the platform and are still working for it in its operations, no one was or is of Andoni extraction contrary to the provisions of Section 3(2), 25,26,27 and 28 of the Nigerian oil and gas industry content development, NOGICD Act, 2010.”
“Official government records confirm that from 1990 when it established the Amenan/Kpono platform till date, spanning over 27 years of continuous oil and gas extraction and operation, Total E&P limited has not executed cumulative developmental projects worth up to N200 million in towns of the host communities, despite the profit of billions of dollars from its operations in the communities.”
“Andoni local government is the host of the proposed Egina Field and same situation that applied to the establishment of Akpo field and all the previous fields by Total has also applied and is being implemented in respect of the Akpo, Egina and Ofon 2 fields situated within the waters of Andoni environment in terms of naming of the facilities, contracts, capacity building, employment and developmental projects and every other benefits as provided for in the laws.”
“Total has not maintained a good relationship with the host communities and by the current estimates, the projects are estimated to be worth over $3.5 billion and projected to create over 50,000 jobs, but currently, Total E&P and its Joint Venture Partners Free Zone Enterprises have commenced staff recruitment without employing a single Andoni indigene.”
“Andoni local government area has lately been beset by uncontrolled cult activities, unprecedented armed robbery, kidnapping, reprisal killings, mayhem and destruction engendered by joblessness and lack of meaningful means of livelihood for the teeming youth population and also Total’s failure to award contracts to them, build their capacities and provide the needed community development and opportunities is a direct invitation for youth restiveness which is imminent if the issues are not quickly addressed”, the lawmaker stated.
The motion scaled through when it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Honourable Yakubu Dogara who presided over the plenary session.
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