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Isoko women seal oil firm, say we no longer need Heritage Energy in our land

Published

1 month ago

October 2, 2024

Women from Emede, Oleh and Olomoro, in Isoko South Local Government Area, numbering over 200, have sealed the Olomoro/Oleh flow station of Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited.

The women, who carried placards with different inscriptions, barricaded the entrance gate of the company and vowed to remain there until their demands were met.

Speaking on their grievances, Mrs. Helen Obrogo alleged gruesome marginalization of the Olomoro/Oleh cluster 5 by Heritage Energy, which she said had come to a head.

Mrs. Obrogo averred that as the proverbial goose that lays the golden egg, they could no longer tolerate the diabolical orchestration by the oil company and its cohort against the interest of cluster 5.

She said they had, therefore, declared HEOSL a persona non grata, stressing that the company was no longer needed as it had become an oppressor in their land.

According to her, they were not happy with Heritage Energy because the infield surveillance contract duly advertised by the company, bided for and won by a solely indigenous company owned by an Oleh indigene and Chief of the kingdom bided. CMD Limited, following which the company received an offer letter and was duly invited for a kick off meeting which he attended and modalities for kick off agreed.

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Mrs Obrogo said on the strength of that, CMD mobilized men and resources to the entire OML 30 Isoko area infield on January 2024 and had effectively secured the infield till date with an outstanding record of performance and stoppage of crude oil bunkering along the Uzere-Emede-Oleh line, down to Iyede and even Enwhe

Provocatively, she continued, HEOSL had refused to release payment to CMD Limited nine months running.

Also speaking, Mrs Ann Ogiale alleged that HEOSL working with the greatest conspirator and threat to peace in OML.30 and the entire Isoko nation, one Chief Iduh Amadhe and an interest driven traditional ruler wanted to impose a non indigenous contractor on them.

Mrs Ogiale pointed out that the owner of the said company was not an indigene of Oleh, as his great grand father, grand father and father all lived and were buried in Ofagbe, a community not related to OML 30 in any shape or form.

She accused HEOSL of continually engaging quack and fake contractors for fixing and maintenance of valved spots so much so that repaired valved spots frequently got bad for other rounds of repairs leading to avoidable pollution of arable farmland.

Mrs Ogiale further alleged that they had it in good authority and they affirmed that very top HEOSL personnel were insider collaborators to crude oil theft and contract fixing.

Another of the protestors, Mrs Theresa Umuneruo, said inline with the PIA law, NPDC hosted a training, induction and inauguration of the PIA Board wherein a cluster representative and indigene of Olomoro, Deacon John Oteri, was elected to lead the Board, following which he was handed a letter of incorporation as a symbol of authority.

She said sadly HEOSL had refused to acknowledge the symbolic event and authority, rather it was bent on superimposing a representative from another cluster on the Board, windering the crime of cluster 5.

In summary, the women, outraged by the excesses and inglorious manipulations by HEOSL against cluster 5, resolved to shut down oil exploration activities in their land and demanded immediate payment of the infield contractors, CMD Limited for his efficient infield surveillance service.

They also asked for the recognition of Deacon John Oteri as Chairman of the PIA Board, the evacuation of HEOSL from the OML 30 asset, while urging NPDC to look inward and, like most divested asset, engage from the pool of eminently qualified local professionals to manage the OML 30 asset.

The women said NO to a British company management of their resources and No to exploration of crude oil in all facilities in cluster 5 until their demands were affectively met.

Efforts To get the reaction of Heritage Energy personnel on ground proved abortive as they claimed they did not have the authority to speak.

Related Topics:Heritage Energy Isoko women oil firm

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At last, Marketers Agree to Crash Petrol Prices as Dangote Sells Fuel at Reduced Cost after Deal

Published

18 minutes ago

November 16, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) said about 30,000 of its members will start lifting petrol from the Dangote Refinery The association’s president, Abubakar Maigandi, said that the refinery agreed to sell the product at N940 and N960, respectively He said the development means that petrol prices will crash at the pumps in the coming weeks following the new deal

The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) says over 30,000 of its members are ready to buy petrol in bulk from the Dangote Refinery. The association revealed that the petrol price from the mega refinery was about N940 per litre via ships and N990 via trucks.

IPMAN president Abubakar Maigandi disclosed in a television interview on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, that the petrol pump prices at its outlets will drop following the deal with the refinery. The association reached a deal with the $20 billion refinery on Monday, November 11, 2024, to purchase petrol, diesel, and other petroleum products directly. The agreement comes after months of negotiations following the exit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) as the sole off-taker of the refinery.

Petrol prices to crash by over N50 Maigandi explained that the Lekki-based facility had been obliged to let marketers buy petrol, diesel, and Kerosene to supply to their depots and retail outlets. The IPMAN boss updated Nigerians on the pricing, saying the refinery gave marketers two rates based on preferences. He said marketers can load at the gantry at N990 per litre or vial vessel transport at N940. Punch reports that the new price is lower than the N960 and N990 per litre on ships and trucks offered by the refinery last week.

The IPMAN helmsman disclosed that the partnership aims to ensure a consistent and affordable supply of petrol and other products nationwide. He stated further that petrol prices may crash by N50 or more, depending on the location.

PETROAN set up a meeting with Dangote Refinery According to Maigandi, the direct purchase of petrol from the refinery will end payments to intermediaries such as the NNPC and depot owners, saying that the cost will reflect on petrol prices in the coming weeks. The IPMAN president said the new arrangement will also end fuel scarcity as products will be available nationwide in all seasons.

Additionally, the management of the Dangote Refinery is set to meet with Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) officials to discuss petrol lifting. The group’s publicity secretary, Joseph Obele, said the refinery, through its president, Billy Harry, mailed seeking a business meeting.

Obele said Harry has inaugurated a team of seven persons to represent the association at the meeting. NNPC to now sell only Dangote petrol Legit.ng earlier reported that NNPC had announced that it stopped importing refined petroleum products. Mele Kyari, NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, disclosed this while speaking at the Lagos’s Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists’ (NAPE) conference and said that the company now sources its fuel needs from the Dangote Petroleum Refinery.

Kyari confirmed that NNPC has shifted away from importation and will source from local refiners, especially Dangote, according to BusinessDay reports.

Source: Legit

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Police save abduct£d 14-month-old baby from nanny

Published

1 hour ago

November 16, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Operatives of the Edo State Police Command have successfully rescued a 14-month-old baby, Grace Osamagbe, who was abducted by her nanny, Rejoice Chukwu, in April.

Commissioner of Police Umoru Ozigi told newsmen on Saturday in Benin, that the Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Unit arrested Chukwu, 24, and her boyfriend, Destiny Uchechukwu, 28, in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom

According to Ozigi, the suspects abducted the child in Benin and collected a ransom of N160,000.

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“In spite of receiving the ransom, the suspects allegedly sold the baby for N500,000 to Doris Chiwendu in Owerri, Imo State.

“Following intense interrogation, police tracked down Chiwendu and another suspect, Jane Amaigbo, in Ubomiri, Imo State, and rescued the baby on November 9.”

The police commissioner explained that the suspects would soon be charged in court.

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Ondo: Hoodlums attack INEC officials in Ogbagi Akoko, destr0y electoral materials, others

Published

2 hours ago

November 16, 2024

Naijablitznews

Some hoodlums have attacked and assaulted officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at Polling Unit 19, Ward 6 Ogbagi in the Akoko area of Ondo State in the ongoing governorship election in the state.

According to a video posted on social media, the Presiding Officer (PO) of the polling unit said that the attackers destroyed all the electoral materials at the polling unit, stole their phones and purses, and physically assaulted them.

The Presiding Officer, who said that the attack happened shortly after a PDP agent at the polling unit was arrested by the police for tearing votes, said that her Assistant Presiding Officer 1 (APO 1) she identified as Bello Samuel, had been missing since they were attacked.

Narrating what happened, the Presiding Officer said, “As the process of the election was going on, a party agent from PDP tore a vote without my consent. I don’t know his name because he had not indicated his name.

“I was trying to address him but he asked me to do my work. In order to resolve the matter, the Kabiyesi of the community (community leader) came but he (the PDP) agent was trying to tear another vote when the officers (police) at the polling unit called the DPO for his arrest.

“They (police) asked me what I wanted and I said he should be removed or the polling unit should be canceled. Then, he was arrested and the election continued.

“Unaware, we discovered a gang of people parking the election materials and they beat us up – I and my APOs. Even till now, I haven’t seen my APO 1, Bello Samuel by name.

“Our phones have been stolen with our purses, and all the electoral materials have been destroyed except the BVAS which I escaped with.”

She said that before the hoodlums attacked them, “I called SPO and the officers called the DPO. After that, I know nothing preserved by grace.”