Financial Energy Review
………by James Ikenna……………
Rivers Lawmakers is demanding Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) to pay compensation to owners of building it marked for demolition. The lawmakers resolved this during it’s executive session in which it questioned the alleged plans by SPDC to demolish 800 buildings.
This followed the failure of Shell to honour the invitation to it by members of the House Committee on Public Complaints and Petition.
The committee chairman and member representing Ogu/Bolo at the State Assembly, Evans Bipi, had presented a committee report on threats by Shell to demolish over 800 houses in Umuebulu community of Etche Local Government Area of the state through the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development without completing the payment to the agreed compensation to property owners.
Bipi, who is also the Chief Whip of the House, said Shell should pay for all the properties earmarked for demolition before it would embark on the exercise.
According to him, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr. Tami Danagogo, had intervened in this matter while he was serving as Commissioner for Housing and Physical Planning in 2015/2016, and an agreement reached for full compensation to landlords that would be affected before their properties could be pulled down, but regretted that SPDC, instead of sticking to the terms of agreement, had gone back to the ministry seeking shortcut to invade the properties.
He insisted that the state will not fold its arms and watch people’s investments, hard work wasted by Shell without doing due diligence to the owners.
“The state government had intervened in the matter through the office of the SSG in 2015 and 2016, and the agreement for the compensation of all property owners reached, some Umuebule people were compensated then, but now, Shell want to use all its powers to do away with the rest of the people without compensating them.” he alleged.
In his remarks, the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Ikwunyi Owaji-Ibani, commended the committee for the detailed report and warned SPDC to ensure it honours the House invitation to explain the reason for disobeying the invitation of the House.
Meanwhile, Ibani has urged the chairman and commissioner designates of the soon to be reconstituted Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), to ensure effective service delivery to the people of the state.
Eight nominees of the state government were screened and approved for the job at plenary Friday, following a request by Governor Nyesom Wike to the lawmakers.
They are, Justice George Omereji (rtd), (Chairman); M/s Doris Ruhuoma-Chuku, Chioma Ochia, Hope Barangolysia Gilbert, Bariene Nwikinanee, Dr. Solomon Egbe, and Prof. Iyeneone Tamunobene-Tonari.
Lawmakers confirmed the nomination of all the members. During a short debate ahead of the confirmation, the contributors agreed that the commissioners, who are mainly from academia and headed by a retired high court judge, would bring about a positive narrative to local government elections in the state.
