Nigerian Senate has given the management Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLGN) one week ultimatum to step forward and explain why 73 host communities in the Niger Delta are unsettled, or face the consequences.
The listed host communities also represent about 200 families displaced when land was acquired for the NLNG in Rivers state in 1996. The land spanned over 210 kilometers, which served for use as NLNG pipelines Right of Way (ROW).
The land ended at the export terminal of the NLNG in Finima Bonny local government area of Rivers state.
The company has been summoned to appear before the Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions over their refusal to pay compensation for lands acquired from 73 host communities in Rivers state.
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, who made the summon on Wednesday following a report by the Ethics Committee that NLNG has refused to pay the host communities, gave the company a one-week ultimatum to appear before the Senate Committee or face the consequences for failing to do so.
The report which was deliberated on during the Senate plenary within the week was as a result of a petition received from one Chief Enyinna Onuegbu on behalf of the communities located in Obiafu, Soku to Bonny, respectively.
Senate Lawan said that “Instead of just saying NLNG should go and pay N18 billion and at the end of the day nothing happens, let us give NLNG one more chance, and this should be by the Senate itself, not our committee.
“I am sure NLNG is listening. NLNG should appear within one week before our Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions with their evidence of compensation. If they fail, then the Senate will take a decision on NLNG in this respect,” he added.
Presenting the report before the chamber, Chairman of the Ethics Committee, Senator Ayo Akinyelure (Ondo Central), said that “Following the incorporation of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), it acquired landed properties in Rivers State in 1996 spanning over 210 kiln for use as its pipelines Right of Way (ROW) which ended at the export terminal of the NLNG in Finima Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.
“That there were over 73 Communities and over 200 families whose hitherto agrarian source of livelihood were negatively impacted upon by the said acquisition.
“That NLNG neither proved nor showed evidence to the Committee that it paid compensation to the 73 Communities for loss of use of their land to pipelines Right of Way (ROW); and that there was no memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the communities and NLNG on future obligations in the name of corporate social responsibility with the impacted communities.
“That there was evidence that other oil companies such as Shell Petroleum Development Company, Totalfina Elf Petroleum Nigeria Ltd, Agip Oil Corporation paid compensation for loss of use of land to their host communities.
“That the communities are claiming the sum of N18,448,842,500,00 being compensation for the loss of use of their land as at May, 20.”
By Sunday Elom
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