Settle with your hosts, Ondo urges oil company

The Ondo State government has given the management of Conoil Limited and the oil-producing communities of Ilaje local council of the state one week to settle their differences.

Some youth in the oil-rich area last Monday invaded the Conoil Limited platform to protest the failure of the company’s management to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as agreed upon by both parties last January.

At the meeting between the aggrieved communities and the oil company, which took place in Ijapo Estate, in Akure, at the weekend, the state government warned that it would not tolerate anything that would affect the amnesty programme put in place by President Umaru Musa Yar’adua.

Addressing journalists after the meeting, the community’s spokesman, Benson Omotehinse, said the company had refused to sign the 2008/2009 MoU, but said it would rather work with that of 2010/2011.

Mr. Omotehinse further said that the company also reneged on its promise to grant scholarship to students who are indigenes of the community.

According to him, the employment of the indigenes at the platform should be 60 per cent skilled and 100 per cent non-skilled workers, but the agreement was not met by the company.

He added that the monthly stipends for the workers are not paid regularly, stressing that the management of the company was hiding under the federal government’s amnesty to deny them their rights.

“We are no militants, but freedom fighters who are fighting for our people. If Conoil fails to meet our demands by the end of this year, peace in the oil community may be threatened, Mr. Omotehinse stressed.

The meeting was attended by government officials led by the Commissioner for Environment, Omolebi Adepiti, traditional rulers, including A.K. Olubo Olabode Ogbaro, Odoka of Obe Ogbaro kingdom, Elias Ikuemola, Alagho of Odo-Nla and Alex Aworunse.

Conoil Limited was represented by Tychicus Adesina, Richard Edegbae and Oluwole Sanumi.