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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
There was a security breach over the weekend in the Sangana community in Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, following a massive protest by hundreds of youths and women against the Federal Government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and seven oil companies operating in the area.
The protesters said they were aggrieved over deliberate neglect following the dreaded coastal erosion ravaging the kingdom.
It took the quick intervention of the political leadership, chiefs and elders of Sangana kingdom to halt a breakdown of law and order, which could have shut down multi-million dollar crude oil production in the area.
The protesters, who were armed with placards with inscription such as “We are a peaceful people and do not envisage a breakdown of law and order”; “Save Sangana Kingdom from the ravaging sea encroachment”; “We produce the black oil of the nation and deserve better” and “Save our land, ancestral heritage, properties and economic valuables”, cried out that the old Sangana is almost going to extinction if nothing is done to protect the city from the ravaging sea scourge.
The protesters said the federal government, its agency, the NDDC and the oil companies working in their area; Consolidated oil & gas company, Statoil, Shell (H-Block), Chevron, NIGDEL, etc, have neglected the community.
They also expressed displeasure that despite their repeated protests and engagement with critical stakeholders, the old Sangana and its communities are going extinct as houses, public buildings such as primary schools, rural electrification facilities, farmlands and other properties worth millions of naira are all lost to the sea waves.
Speaking on behalf of the people, the Community Development Chairman of Sangana kingdom, Mr. Preboye Reuben, said the federal government, NDDC and its host oil companies have refused to perform their corporate social responsibility in Sangana kingdom, where it had been extracting oil for the past three decades.
“We are calling on the MD of NDDC, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, to save a sister community, Sangana. In 2009, NDDC, under the leadership of former MD, Mr Timi Alaibe, awarded shore protection in Sangana, but it was abandoned after 30% completion in 2010.
“Now, we have another Bayelsa man at the helm of affairs in NDDC. Letters in this regard have been written to the new NDDC management, but to no avail. It is baffling that Chevron has operated in our kingdom for over 47 years, while Conoil, Statoil, First E&P, Shell H- Bloc, Nigdel have explored our resources for 25 years and they abandoned us,” he said.
He said with the current reality of coastal erosion in the area, Sangana kingdom will be no more in the next ten years. He called on the federal government, NDDC and the oil companies working in the area to, as a matter of urgent public importance, come to the aid of the Sangana Kingdom.
Also speaking, the King of Moko ama, Sangana kingdom, HRH Moses Theophilus, Kenibara V11 of Sangana Clan, said they were tired of writing letters to official quarters of the government, seeking intervention without any fruitful response.
