Efforts by the federal government to recommence crude oil production in Ogoniland with capacity for 200,000 barrels per day has received a boost as Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) on Friday brokered peace among warring factions in Bodo Community of Gokana local government area of Rivers State.
The truce is also expected to significantly boost daily production target as the Nigerian government aims for 2.5million barrels per day.
Bodo is a major oil-bearing community and an artery for oil pipelines, gathering crude oil from various pipelines and locations, including the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) to the export terminal in Bonny.
Intra-community squabbles among different armed gangs had for decades plagued the community, leading to loss of lives, development and empowerment opportunities accruing from oil production activities in the community.
The peace deal, which brings to an end decades of bloody intra-community conflicts negatively impacted crude oil production activities in the community.
Speaking during the peace meeting, Special Adviser to the Minister of Petroleum Resources (Oil) on Host Communities, Hon. Eddie Julius, described the peace deal as timely, especially to the country and oil industry.
Julius said it would guarantee safe operations that would result in increased crude production in Bodo and the entire Ogoniland.
Julius said; “You know for sometime now, re-entry into Ogoni has become an issue within the Ogoni, the oil industry and the federal government. But today, this peace deal will translate to production, a peaceful relationship with the communities, the youth leaders, community excos and every other person in the community, which will also translate back in their communities as development. What we have achieved with this peace deal is something that in the next few months you will live to testify in it.”
He informed representatives of the community that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources was happy with Bodo community over the development and assured that that within the shortest possible time, officials of the ministry will come back to see how things are going on.
Julius said: “As Special Adviser on Host Communities, I’m a community man and I sincerely thank PINL for seeing this peace deal to this successful end. We standing here don’t know what this deal translates. But we thank God because this is what everyone desires for his community.
“By the grace of God, next few months when we meet, all will be joyful that we are meeting together. For sometime we could not see eye to eye but today, everyone is sitting and eating together and exchanging handshakes of love. That’s what I want us to keep henceforth. You know crisis never helps. It’s only understanding and accommodating yourselves that bring development to your place”.
Earlier in his remarks, PINL’s General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, stated that due to the crisis in Bodo community, the surveillance company was forced to give out the pipeline surveillance jobs for the community to outsiders.
He added that Bodo was only the community was thus affected out of all the other 214 pipeline host communities.
