DELTA COMMUNITIES TO INVADE CHEVRON OIL PLATFORM

Angry indigenes of Kokodiagbene and others impacted by the August 17 crude oil spill from the Jacket 8D of Otunana and Abiteye flow stations of Chevron Nigeria Limited, have vowed to invade the facilities on Monday over refusal by the company to start compensation payment processes.


Already, a 7-day ultimatum given to the company by the impacted and host communities following a breakdown in negotiations elapsed yesterday morning.



Community sources said the aggrieved communities would invade the impacted areas with a team of surveyors and other experts as part of the demarcation exercise, allegedly being avoided by Chevron.



Community representatives told our correspondent on Sunday afternoon that they would carry out the exercise with or without the cooperation of the company.



It would be recalled that the spills from the two facilities have pitched the host communities against American oil firm: both sides disagreed over the cause of the spill.



However, CNL’s position was weakened by its swift repairs of the facilities, contrary to the best practice in the industry that required a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) to ascertain its cause.



Consequently, Kokodiagbene, Jones Creek and other impacted communities insisted on carrying out the usual process of demarcation, mapping and other activities preparatory to compensation payment.



But CNL’s management, according to our sources, is only prepared to pay out ex-gratia money to the communities, even as it insists that the spills resulted from 3rd party intervention.



A source within the host communities told our correspondent yesterday, “We have concluded plans on the expiration of our ultimatum to carry out our own independent survey and demarcation on impacted areas, demarcation.



“We are going there tomorrow (Monday) with team of surveyors and members of Kokodiagbene and the eight impacted communities. After the exercise we shall go to the platform (Otunana),” our source added.



Our source, who craved anonymity, further revealed that the communities have shelved its planned siege and take over of the platform because of the intervention of youth leaders like Comrade Sheriff Mulade and other prominent Ijaw leaders.



“But we shall still go there after the exercise with the team of surveyors who will produce the survey map of the affected areas just to convince Chevron that we would not let the issue die like that,” our source added.