'Divestment extinguishes existing interest and rights', host community rejects oil block divestment

The four local government areas were threatened by some of the representatives of the host communities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital, earlier this Sunday.

Communities that host Oil Mining Lease in Rivers State are protesting against the rumored plan of divesting the oil block. The protests have threatened to disrupt oil and gas operations in the region, according to a report by Today Ng.

Reportedly, the four local government areas were threatened by some of the representatives of the host communities in Port Harcourt, Rivers State Capital, earlier this Sunday.

Loveday Okere, one of the community leaders and a member of the media team noted that it will an effort in vain if the government does divestment without the input. As he said, "the foundational error that our people made in early 60's cannot repeat itself, because the news of divestment of OML-17 is a surprise to us that at this point in time SPDC and federal government want to carry it out without falling back to the communities that are the landlords of this oil and gas field, comprising from Ikwere, Obio/Akpor, Etche and Oyigbo lgas. So, I think it is an intentional act to keep impoverishing the host communities,".

Adding to it, Paul Nwankwola, the head of the host communities said that granting a unilateral lease for any divestment is an illegal attempt by the federal government.

As Nwankwola said, "a divestment extinguishes existing interest and rights. Once existing interest and rights are extinguished, that is to say, a vacuum has been created over OML-17. Under the relevant laws of Nigeria, the federal government has no authority to single-handedly grant lease in the manner and form in which the government wants to do it,".