Port Harcourt – Some members of oil-bearing communities in the Niger Delta Region have taken to the streets to demanded N87 billion in alleged outstanding ground-rent payments from Renaissance Africa Energy Company Ltd (RAEC).
The communities from Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta, Imo and Rivers, made the demand during a peaceful protest in front of RAEC Headquarters in Port Harcourt on Thursday.
The protesters, who walked from Stadium Road through Rumuomasi and ended at the RAEC office, held placards with inscriptions such as: “President Bola Tinubu, intervene and direct RAEC to comply with Senate Resolution”
Others read: “Asiwaju, save our soul; RAEC must obey the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources; and Shell divestment will not stop our demand for 10 years land use” among others.
Chief Ayiba Job, representative of the communities, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on the sideline of the demonstration that RAEC had refused to settle the alleged outstanding payments.
Job alleged that RAEC, formerly Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, had failed to comply with a Senate resolution concerning the ground-rent payments.
He also claimed that the company had not complied with a Federal High Court directive relating to the matter.
“We are protesting today about the refusal of Renaissance to pay N87 billion owed over 100 oil-bearing communities and families in six states of the Niger Delta,” he said.
He stated that the outstanding amount represented accrued shortfalls arising from what the communities described as discriminatory ground-rent payments.
According to him, Shell previously paid ground rent to oil-bearing communities every five years, with uniform payments made from 2009 to 2014.
Job said that the company increased the ground rent from N200,000 to N300,000 per hectare, but alleged that some communities subsequently received N600,000 per hectare.
“It is unfortunate that up untill now, they still pay some oil-bearing communities, particularly my community, N300,000 per hectare,” he said.
He argued that payments should be uniform among oil-producing communities, describing the alleged disparity as unfair.
“Instead of giving our money to us, they are giving it to other people, paying them higher than communities that are producing the oil,” he said.
Job said that the communities had previously taken the matter before the National Assembly, which, according to him, passed a resolution directing the company to pay.
He further stated that the firm subsequently approached a Federal High Court in Abuja, which struck out the it’s case, and directed it to honour the resolution of senate.
“Ten years after Renaissance has not done anything in the matter,” he stated.
He urged RAEC to comply with the directives from the nation’s institutions, resolve the dispute with the affected communities and pay the arrears.
Job warned that continued failure to address the issue could heighten tensions in the affected communities.
“We are worried that the continued intransigence by RAEC regarding compliance with with Nigerian government institutional recommendations is likely to cause unrest in the communities,” he said.
He called on the Federal Government to call Renaissance to order to protect community welfare and safeguard national security and oil-production infrastructure.
Responding, Mr Igo Weli, the Vice President, Relations and Sustainable Development at Renaissance, told NAN that relevant government agencies were already handling the matter.
Weli urged the protesters to allow the authorities to resolve the matter in accordance with the nation’s constitution and extant joint venture agreements.
He, however, said that the company recognised the communities and individuals from whom it acquired land and maintained documentation of the agreements.
According to him, the company had fulfilled its agreed obligations to the landlords and obtained signed documentation confirming the arrangements.
“We know our landlords, the people who we took land from. We have documents from those who we got land from.
“We have paid them what we agreed, and they signed off our documents. So, we are not losing sleep over this because we are in good terms with our landlords,” he said.
Weli explained that the company renegotiated leases with landlords whenever existing leases expired, in line with its standard procedures. NAN
