Communities condemn petition against Integrated Oil & Gas

Onisowo Island communities in Amuwo Odofin Local Government of Lagos State have condemned the petition and alleged sponsored attacks against the Integrated Oil & Gas Limited and its chairman, Emmanuel Iheanacho, over the company efforts to build a modular refinery on the Island.

“We, the Baales of the communities on the Onisowo Island and the Onisowo family, hereby disassociate ourselves from this false representation of events on the Island and would also wish to publicly apologize to the chairman of Integrated Oil & Gas for the embarrassment caused by the publication,” said the letter by the Baales of the 16 communities to the company in reaction to the petition.

Contrary to the petition, the community leaders said they had been aware of the plans of Integrated Oil & Gas for the Island for the last two years, and had also had meeting with the representatives of the Federal Ministry of Environment from Abuja, as part of the initial preparation for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

According to them, the project will bring development like roads, borehole water, electricity etc. to the Island and also provide jobs to the Onisowo youths.  “Some people do not want the progress of this Island, that is why they blackmail Integrated Oil & Gas in view of making money for themselves. And we want the world to know that this person or persons do not represent Onisowo communities and should therefore, disregard them.”

Similarly, the Community Development Associations (CDA) chairmen of the six-joint riverine communities comprising (Ward J, Zone 5) on the Island have equally dissociated themselves from the petition and apologized to the company.

In a letter signed by Ganiyu Akorede, Noel Atodjmon and others; addressed to the management of Integrated Oil & Gas, the CDA chairmen said: “we hereby apologize for the blackmailing and assault given to your organisation by some group of people calling themselves NGOs or a group of organisation without the consent of the Baales and the CDA chairmen and other leaders of the communities.” 

The community development chairmen expressed full support for the refinery project, which they said, would enable their youths to secure employment.