Percy Onyeka
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has waded into the dispute between Chevron Nigeria Limited and some communities within the company’s Warri exploration and production area, in Delta State, over the composition and naming of the host communities Trust Fund, urging both parties to maintain the peace pending the resolution of the matter.
The dispute which arose between Chevron Oil Company and the Ugbororo, Ugbegugun and Denbele communities in Warri South Local Government of Delta State emanated from the naming of the host community Trust Fund and the composition of its Board of Trustees.
According to a press statement by the Commission’s Head of Public Affairs and Communications, Olaide Shonola, people from the three communities staged a protest in the Escravos Terminal area, accusing Chevron of going against the Petroleum Industry Act (2021).
The statement further noted that at a meeting between the feuding parties on Tuesday at the NUPRC headquarters in Abuja, the Commission Chief Executive (CCE), Engr Gbenga Komolafe, urged them to maintain the status quo and ensure peace reigned in the operational area as the Regulator was determined to ensure that the proper thing was done.
The CCE therefore issued a regulatory position and directed Chevron on the resolution of the matter which must be implemented within two weeks, insisting that the law which was very explicit on the matter must be obeyed by all the parties concerned.
He, among other directives, called for the immediate convening of consultative meeting with the communities on the proper delineation and naming of the Trust Fund in compliance with the PIA and the re-composition of the Board of Trustees in line with an earlier directive of the Commission.
The Commission’s Warri Regional Office was mandated to supervise the process and submit the report within two weeks, the statement concluded.
- ATTENTION: Techrectory gives ₦5,000 monthly to our top readers, CLICK HERE to become a winner.
Techrectory with Agency Report.
