HRM, Elder Capt King Joseph Timiyan, Paramount ruler of Ogulagha kingdom
From all indications, the discovery of crude oil by Shell-BP in Oloibiri, Bayelsa State, in 1956, has been of immense benefit to the Nigerian authority to the detriment of the people and communities producing the oil.
And after over 60 years of crude oil exploration and exploitation in South South region by Federal government and Joint Venture Partners ( Multinationals), the region remains underdeveloped, while the rural dwellers and indigenous host to the oil facilities suffer serious health hazards.
The eco-system, water and land completely undermined and degradated without commensurate impact and benefits to the host communities.
This is the ugly situation in Ogulagha Kingdom in Burutu Local Government Area, Delta State, a very rich oil producing kingdom in Niger Delta, but lacking Federal government attention, completely neglected and underdeveloped by successive governments.
Ogulagha Kingdom is one of the richest oil producing communities and hosting several multi- Billion Dollars oil facilities belonging to Federal government and multinationals, yet it is also one of the most peaceful kingdom in Niger Delta and Nigeria.
Recently, the Ogulagha Kingdom Traditional Council of Chiefs, in a congratulatory letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, also lamented the neglect and lack of Federal government presence in the oil rich Kingdom.
The letter to President Tinubu was signed by Chief Igere William, Bolouwei of Ogulagha Kingdom; Chief Emaye M. Benidiwei (JP) l, Amatukpa of Ogulagha Kingdom; Chief Prefugha Karawei (JP), The Tiegberifiewei of Ogulagha Kingdom.
In that letter, they painfully, explained that the quantity of Crude oil and Gas produced and exploited in the Kingdom by the Federal Government through the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Multinational Oil and Gas Companies runs into millions of barrels of crude oil and cubic-meters of Gas daily with monetary value of billions of Dollars as Revenue to the Country on which the economy of the Nigerian State sits.
Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited; Nigeria Agip Oil Company, Chevron Nigeria Limited, Britannia “U” Oil Limited; Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO) and OANDO PLC, are companies operating in Ogulagha Kingdom.
They disclosed oil facilities owned by SPDC in the Kingdom, the Forcados Tank Farm and Oil Terminal; Crude Oil Export Loading Platform (CLP); South Bank Flowstation; Yokiri Crude Oil Flowstation; Yokiri Gas Lift Flowstation; North Bank Flowstation; North Bank Gas Station; Estuary Oil Flowstations I and II; Afremor A and B Flowstations. These facilities are comprised of 56 (Fifty-Six) Oil clusters and more than Two Hundred and Fifty Oil Wells and over 30 (Thirty) Gas Reservoirs.
Others owned and operated by Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) are Beniboye Crude Oil Flowstation with over 20 (Twenty) Crude Oil Wells.
Also, Chevron Nigeria Limited operates the MEJI Oil Flowstation situated in the Kingdom which has over 100 (One Hundred) Oil Wells. The AJAPA Oil Field which houses a Floating Crude Oil Flowstation is comprised of estimated 20 (Twenty) Oil Wells and is managed and operated by Britannia “U” Oil Limited, an indigenous pioneering and Global Energy Company focused on exploration and production, Drilling and Oil Services.
The BONGA Oil Field is located in License Block OPL 212, off the Nigeria coast which was renamed OML 118 in February, 2000 and covers approximately 60km² in an average and produces 202,000 (Two Hundred and Two Thousand) barrels of crude oil and a reasonable quantity of Gas daily and is operated by Shell Nigeria Exploration and production Company (SNEPCO) in the Kingdom.
OANDO PLC, an indigenous Company operates Akpo Marginal Field comprising of over 5 (Five) Oil Wells.
Surprisingly, despite being neglected and underdeveloped by Governments, the Ogulagha Kingdom with the above-mentioned several oil and gas facilities and production quantum worth billions of dollars daily, yet the Kingdom is adjudged to be the most peaceful in Niger Delta, which can be rightly attributed to the leadership prowess of the paramount ruler of Ogulagha Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Elder ( Capt) King Joseph I. Timiyan ( JP) PhD.
According to available facts, the paramount ruler of Ogulagha Kingdom, since ascension to the throne has ensured that attacks on oil facilities and vandalization of crude oil pipilines are forbidden.
A community source said the monarch has over the years provided the enabling and peaceful environment for the operations of multinationals and indigenous companies exploring oil in Ogulagha Kingdom.
The source said, ” It is quite unfortunate that even the Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC and Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs have no single impact or presence in Ogulagha Kingdom in terms of infrastructural development ”
It is therefore, a call to the government of President Tinubu to show more interest and pay serious attention to unattended issues affecting the host communities in Ogulagha Kingdom; and other oil producing communities across the Niger Delta region.
The demands and yearnings for meaningful and commensurate physical infrastructure and human capital development in Ogulagha Kingdom should be promptly considered by the Federal government.
As clearly noted by Ogulagha Kingdom Traditional Council of Chiefs, ” The Resources of our Country must not be wasted. It is the wastage and improper direction of our national natural resources that has plunged the nation into a mess where majority of Nigerians are swimming in poverty.”
“These corrupt and wasteful Nigerians do not seem to know that these natural resources such as crude oil and gas which are GOLDEN EGGS of the Nigeria economy are extracted from places where people inhabit. These categories of people do not also care about the associated sufferings of the people that inhabit such places, arising from environmental degradation and like effects.”
They lamented that Ogulagha Kingdom is one of such places inhabited by their people who suffer daily from the menace of crude oil and gas extraction from their God given Lands.
The ancient Ogulagha Kingdom, has over 30 (Thirty) major communities and several satellite villages such as Ogulagha, Youbebe, Obuguru, Okuntu, Obotobo I, Obotobo II, Abarabebe, Saghagbene Sokebolou, Yokiri I, Yokiri II, Oloseimoere and others.
Chris Onovughe, Media Consultant, writes from Warri
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