EPZ crisis: Ugborodo threatens to stop oil, gas production in Escravos

WARRI—Following President Goodluck Jonathan’s aborted groundbreaking for the $16 billion Export Processing Zone, EPZ, in Ogidigben, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, a community leader in Ugborodo, Mr. Isaac Botosan, has said that the Ugborodo people were left with no option than to stop the production of oil and gas at both the Chevron Terminal and Escravos Gas To Liquid hosted by the community.

Botosan, also a member of the Ugborodo EPZ Interface Committee, spoke in Warri, just as Iteskiri youths, led by Esimaje Awani, reacted to the aborted groundbreaking in a protest staged at the gate of the palace of the Olu of Warri.

He said: “If violence and threats are the only language President Jonathan understands, he must be reminded that these attributes are not the exclusive preserve of one ethnic group. The land Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan acquired, as the law required, for the EPZ was entirely from Ugborodo. There was no encroachment on any Ijaw land.

“The President is aware and that was why he met with the Ugborodo people and the Delta State Government to fix Friday for the groundbreaking. If, because of unjustified threat by one individual the President decides to eat his word and call off the planned ceremony, Ugborodo people are also ready to play the tune of violence.

“The Escravos Terminal and Escravos Gas To Liquid projects are right at our door posts. We contribute over 35 percent of Nigeria’s commonwealth and deserve some regard from the President. If he fails to do the needful by performing the groundbreaking, there will be no basis to allow continued oil and gas production at the Chevron fields in our homes. We will halt operations. Nobody should dare us.”

Meanwhile, Esimaje Awani, who spoke on behalf of the Itsekiri youth protesters, yesterday, said the President, by his action, will also lose the support of the Iteskiri people in his second term bid unless he rescinds his decision and performs the foundation laying for the contentious EPZ project.

Reacting on behalf of the Ijaw of Gbaramatu over yesterday’s protest, Paul Bebenimibo advised the Itsekiri to desist from throwing perceived insults on the President.

……As indigenes count losses

Traditional rulers, community leaders and indigenes of Ugborodo in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State have expressed disappointment over President Goodluck Jonathan’s postponement of the ground breaking of the multi-billion dollars Export Processing Zone, EPZ, project scheduled for last week in Ogidigben, describing same as shocking.

The Eghare-Aja (traditional Prime Minister) of Ugborodo community, Eghare Ojogor, said they were not happy over the sudden decline by the President to keep a date with the community after they had committed a lot of human and material resources to plan for the hosting of the groundbreaking.

He said: “It is unbelievable that the President waited till the last minute to change his mind on coming to Ugborodo to perform the groundbreaking of the gas project. We have committed very much to the event. What that means is that all the efforts put in place by the community were a waste. Anyway, we will not give up yet. I am still very optimistic that the President will pick another date to perform this duty in our community.”

Another prominent son of the community, the Olaja-Orori of Ugborodo, said he was particularly disturbed about the development and faulted the rationale behind the President’s decision to postpone the commissioning of the gas project.

Lamenting the President’s last minute change of mind on the commissioning, Chairman of the 21-member EPZ Interface Committee, Mr. Austin Oboroegbeyi, said that the Ugborodo people felt disappointed that the threat by the Ijaw could deter the President from performing his executive function on the much expected ground breaking ceremony of a major project as the EPZ that was designed to benefit the nation.