LAGOS APRIL 26TH (URHOBOTODAY)-Fresh facts have emerged why the people of the state especially the Ijaws in the riverine communities of Delta State did not disrupt the reception of Nigeria’s Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, during his recent visit to the state.
The VP, penultimate week, visited the Forcados Terminal, a major export line operated by the Anglo-Dutch oil firm, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which was destroyed by a shadowy militant group, Niger Delta Avengers (NDA), over alleged witch hunting of the ex-warlord, Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo , who is facing prosecution in
absentia for corrupt enrichment.
Pointblanknews.com, gathered that the people had planned to stage protests over the travails of the former commander of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) on one hand and the lingering fuel shortage on the other as well as the underdevelopment of the Niger Delta.
Sensing that the protests would mar the visit, the state government reportedly moved swiftly and appeased the communities with cash gifts running into several millions of naira and top government officials from the areas were charged to nip the protests in the bud.
Sources confided in our reporter that about N5 million each was doled out to community leaders in the riverside communities and hosts to the facility even as Osubi community in Okpe council where the airport is situated also got her fair share of the largesse.
Even at that, security was water tight during the VP’s visit. Nigeria Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo had after inspecting the damaged pipeline, described it as the worst kind of terrorism, but stressed that the Federal and State government were committed to ensure its quick repair to ease the hardship faced by Nigerians because fuel shortage.
He said the federal government would not condone such dastardly act because it was criminal and had adverse effect on the economy.
“Federal government is working with the state and Shell Petroleum Development Company to ensure that the damaged pipeline is repaired quickly because government is losing a lot of money since that terminal stopped working about 300,000 barrels of crude oil daily is shut in which
is a great loss to our economy.
“Pipeline vandalism is what we are trying to curtail and we are beefing up security in the area to ensure that such incident does not happen again because it has also affected gas production in the country resulting in the epileptic power supply being experienced in the country,” he said.
In his remarks, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa said the Focardos Terminal was important to both the federal and state governments as “all production on land both crude and gas by Shell has been reduced. This is affecting power supply in the country.”
He expressed optimism that the repair works on the damaged pipeline would be completed by May ending for operations to commence saying ” we were briefed by Shell that the repair works on the pipeline will be completed by May ending, it means that the terminal will become functional soon.”