A’Ibom community demands compensation over oil spill

The people of Esit Eket in Akwa Ibom are demanding the payment of compensation to their community recently ravaged by oil spill which they said should be used in the development of their community.

The community alleged that the oil company had agreed to pay the sum of N1.2 billion for upgrade of projects in the community the third phase of its milestone plans.

According to Etang Edet Umoyo, a community leader, contractors had been engaged to rehabilitate facilities in public primary and secondary schools, build town halls, water and other social amenities in the area as part of the memorandum of understanding signed with the oil company. Speaking to reporters in Uyo, the state capital, Umoyo, decried the oil company’s non-commitment to the memorandum of understanding it reached with the community lamenting that the company has reneged on the payment of the contractors after a greater percentage of the job had been done.

According to him, children in the affected schools now learn under trees as the contractors have abandoned the sites due to non-commitment to deal by the oil company.

“The oil company should respect the contract terms with the contractors so that the contractors can return to sites so that this action should not jeopardise the existing mutual relationship with the oil company, he said.

He regretted that the oil company has never followed internationally acceptable standard in payment of oil spill compensation in developing countries.

The paramount ruler of Esit Eket, Ubong Peter Assam, appealed the oil company to mobilise the contractors to return to sites, disclosing that pupils in the affected schools have threatened to relocate to his palace for their teaching and learning programmes.

Some of the schools visited including the community secondary school, Akpautong; Qua Iboe Church primary school, Akpautong; Union Technical College, Ikpa and others in Esit Eket, works were at the advanced stages of completion.

But the contractors said they would return to complete the project as soon as the oil company fulfilled its agreement to release the project funds.