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By Emmanuel Ovundah, Port Harcourt
Some landowners, under the aegis of United Pipeline Host Families and Communities Association of Rivers State have urged President Bola Tinubu to compel the management of Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG) to obey the order of the 9th Senate of the National Assembly and pay them their due compensation for forcefully acquiring their lands.
The aggrieved landowners who cut across over 74 host communities in eight Local Government Areas of Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni, Ahoada West, Ahoada East, Abua Odual, Emohua, Akuku-Toru, Degema and Okrika areas of Rivers state, decried NLNG’s refusal to pay them the N18.3billion compensation as directed by the Senate.
They claimed that the compensation was for acquiring their land illegally and loss of use of the affected land to Pipeline Right of Way (ROW) through the communities for over 25 years.
The 9th Senate had on October 4, 2022, during plenary, after NLNG allegedly failed to show proof of payment for acquisition of 210 kilometres of land belonging to the landowners, resolved and approved the people’s claim and authorised NLNG to pay N18.3 billion as adequate compensation due to the host communities and enter an MoU with them for loss of use of their land to pipelines ROW.
The landlords and host communities in a seven-point communique issued at the end of a protest meeting, held in Ahoada East LGA of the state and signed by their Chairman, Vincent Agwanuru accused the management of NLNG to have fraudulently obtained fake agreement/license as required of her to do after 20 years on the land without their consent, but rather allegedly forged names suggestive of land owners.
They however urged the NLNG to pay them the approved amount the 9th Senate passed at the plenary within 30days, or do the needful by removing their properties on their lands so as to enable them, the make use of their lands for farming, fishery, others.
They regretted that the host communities in the eight LGAs were merely being seen as Gas Transmission Starting (GTS) line communities by the firm, without regards.
“In pursuant of the demand of our constitutional right, as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we the landlords hereby, demand for the payment of approved compensation on our land from 1996 till date, based on current market values as resolved after thorough investigations were conducted by the 8th and 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“Pursuant to the referred resolution of the 9th Nigerian Senate, the clerk of the Senate transmitted the above referred instrument to the Secretary of the Federation of Nigeria and also to the management of NLNG on the need for her to pay the money but till date NLNG has bluntly refused to pay the money or taken any step suggesting that she wants to pay the money.
“As if that was not enough, while still in contempt of the resolution of the Senate, the management of NLNG has instigated the Federal Ministry of Environment to carry out an EIA for the construction of her 7th train in our Environment and served out notices to communities in her bid to construct an additional Gas Transmission line on our lands still without payment to us.
“We hereby, urge the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to direct the Management of Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Company Limited (NLNG), to pay us the approved amount the resolution passed at the plenary by the 9th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within 30days, or remove their pipes from our lands”.
Responding to the protest, the General Manager, External Relations and Sustainable Development of NLNG, Andy Odey, said there is a pending motion at a Federal High Court, restraining parties to take action pending the outcome of the suit relating to the issue.
