The President of Agbidiama community, Ekeremor LGA in Bayelsa State, Mr Torke Ekpetun has advocated peace amongst oil communities to attract development and improve standard of living.
Ekpetun said in an interview with Orient Energy Review that the greatest problems facing oil communities were disunity and selfish community leadership agenda which have made development elude oil-rich communities across the state.
At his inaugurated recently, the youth leader said he would pursue policy on unity amongst the people and ensure that International Oil Companies in the area work with community leadership for common good.
He noted that disunity amongst the oil communities was an ‘ill wind’ that does no good to anyone and provides opportunity for selfless leaders to emerge and usurp the commonwealth of the people for selfish ends.
The youth leader assured oil firms operating in Ekeremor area of Bayelsa that under his leadership, youth restiveness would be tackled as efforts are underway to re-orientate the youths and get them to learn new skills to make them competitive.
Ekpetun expressed displeasure over the divisive activities of the former youth president and the out gone Community Development Chairman of Egbemo-Angalabiri Community.
He regretted the decision of the past youth leadership of Egbemo-Angalabiri to ignore the leadership of Agbidiama Community in the signing of an agreement with an oil services firm for a building project in Clough Creek flow station in 2019.
He observed that such action is capable of threatening the peaceful co-existence of Agbidiama and Egbemo-Angalabiri communities and creating crises between the communities and the oil companies.
Ekpetun called on oil firms to investigate the issues raised and ensure that there is no reoccurrence, adding that Agbidiama and Egbemo-Angalabiri communities are joint hosts of Opukushi, Tunu, Clough Creek, Dodo North and Cambo Oil Fields and have always gone into joint agreement with IOCs willing to execute projects in the area.
He expressed optimism that both communities will have a robust working relationship that will engender peace and rapid socio-economic development between them in the coming years.
Kenechukwu Obiajuru, Yenagoa
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