Senate rejects motion to declare Kogi oil producing state

...Charges Anambra, Enugu, Kogi govs to reconcile warring communities

…Calls for release of Boundary Commission report

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

Hope of Kogi State being declared an oil producing state suffered set back as the Senate rejected the prayer to urge the Federal Government to recognise and accord Kogi State the full status of an oil producing state.

However, the upper Chamber on called governors of Anambra, Enugu and Kogi states to reconcile communities that are up in arms over plethora portions of land while calling on the communities of Ibaji, Igga and Aguleri to sheath their sword and allow peace to reign.

The Senate also urged the Federal Government to direct the National Boundary Commission to immediately release its report on the determination of the boundaries of the communities contiguous to OPLs 915 and 916 while charging the Commission to delineate the correct boundaries.

The Senate decision followed a motion by Senator Isaac Alfa (PDP Kogi East) seeking need to recognise Kogi as oil producing State.

Senator Alfa established that oil exploration commenced in Ibaji as far back as 1952 in the villages of Odeke,Echeno, Ihile, Anocha/ Uchuchu, Omabo, Ikah, Iregwu and Ujeh, all in Ibaji community of the present day Ibaji Local Government Area of Kogi State by three oil companies namely; She’ll BP ( now SPDC), Elf ( now Total Fina Elf) and AGIF Energy.

“The Senate was aware that the companies collectively drilled 25 exploration wells, two appraisal wells and 8 core drill wells in the entire Anambra Basin out of which majority of the wells fall within Kogi State as these facts were made possible through a letter to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria by the former manager, drilling (NPDC- NNPC), Engr.Sam Uchola dated 21st November, 2003.

He further informed the upper Chamber that the exploration of oil activities on Kogi State and part of Anambra basin was later abandoned until 18th July, 2001, when the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Late Price Abubakar Audu wrote to the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Abuja to remind him of earlier discovery of crude oil at Odeke, Echeno, and Anocha communities in Abaji Local Government of Kogi State.

As a follow up to this call, he “recalled that on 25th July,2001, a team of Geo- Scientist / Engineers was drafted to the area to carry out a preliminary investigation on the claims of Kogi State and the resuscitation of these productive core wells in the area among other areas prompted the granting of an Oil License, now known as Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 915 and 916 to an indigenous company known as Orient Petroleum Resources Plc.

“Concerned that Orient Petroleum Resources Plchas been taking Crude Oil from OPL 915 since 2012 till date and the percentages of crude oil in the OPL 915 among the three contesting states are as follows: Kogi State 53%, Anambra 23%, Enugu 17% and Edo 7%.

“Regrets that there has been no drifting activity from the OPL 916 which jointly belongs to Kogi, Anambra and Delta States while Orient Petroleum has fully drilled 4 oil wells at OPL 915 (wells 1,2,3 and 4) with wells 3 and 4 incontrovertibly located in Ibaji in Kogi State accounting for 53% of the Crude oil.

“Consequent upon this, Orient Petroleum Resources made three offers to Kogi State Government when you he company arrived on the scene for exploration activities which recommend that ;

the Kogi State Government should appoint a Liaison Officer to act as intermediary between the government and the company, that the Government of Kogi should allocate a land to her to use as her depot;

and that the Government of Kogi State should buy a share of at least N500,000,000 in the company but the company has not taken up the shares.”

He was worried that since granting of the Prospecting License to Orient Petroleum Resources, there has been increased tension between and among the communities that have any direct or tangible contiguity with the location of the oil wells.

In their various contributions, his colleagues called for withdrawal of the motion but Senator Alfa stood his ground, insisting he was going ahead with the motion.

Sen. Chukwuka Utazi said the Senate should not dissipate energy on the motion while he urged Alfa to withdraw it.

He said the matter was not new to the 8th Senate, adding that it is receiving the attention of the chamber but urged the three states to come together with a common presentation on how to avoid further confrontations among affected communities.

While calling on Alfa to step down the motion, he urged him to consult with the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream).

Aligning with Utazi, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said Alfa should have consulted other Senators from Kogi State before pressing further the motion.

He cautioned that the country cannot declare every state oil producing.

Even Senator Magnus Abe said Senate has no constitutional power to declare any state an oil producing state. Rather, he said such power is spelt out in section 162 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan, also said rather than seeking oil producing status for Kogi State, the National Boundary Commission should be allowed to do a thorough delineation of contiguous communities.

Shedding light on previous efforts by the Senate, Chairman, Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Senator Tayo Alasoadura (Ondo Central), said the committee has sat twice on the issue and met once with the Boundary Commission.

He promised that the committee report will be submitted in two weeks’ time.

Before considering the prayers, Senate President Bukola Saraki, urged Alfa to withdraw his motion and meet with concerned Committees but he refused.