More Reactions Trails NAOC’s Assets Sale… As Akipelai Comm Harps On Synergy With OANDO

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the recent take over of assets of Nigeria’s oil major, the Nigerian Agip oil company (NAOC) by OANDO PLC.

This is as Akipelai community of the Ogbia Local Government Area in Bayelsa State, one of the firm’s host communities has joined others in expressing their mixed feelings over the divestment of the assets of the firm.

Our Correspondent who monitored projects executed by the former firm in the community with a view to ascertaining impact it made in the course of its operation reports that leadership of the community said the company maintained a cordial relationship with them.

They however, faulted the oil major on the grounds of incommensurate employment of indigenes.

In an interview with National Wire in Yenagoa, the state capital yesterday, the duo of the chairman of the community’s council of Chiefs, High Chief Egba Azibanakinayam Kelsey(Chief Aduen), and the Chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC), Mr Kenneth Dokubo, said the community was upbeat on greater synergy with the new acquirer of the firm’s assets, OANDO.

They hinted that the firm within its years of operations in the area through the then existing community clusters executed some landmark projects, including a bridge, roads and educational infrastructure in the community.

The leadership of the Akipelai community who also bared their minds on their expectations from OANDO noted that since its acquisition of NAOC, the firm has inherited all the projects formerly being executed by the latter, stressing that they expected nothing less than a mutually benefitting relationship with the new acquirer.

They said: “NAOC had a very cordial relationship with our community. Though not 100%(percent) cordial, but we can give them t least 70%.

“From about 1978 when NAOC commenced the exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in our community, initially there’s no commensurate benefit that accrued to us as host community, but between the early years 2000s through to now that they’ve divested their assets to OANDO, we can say that NAOC did well in terms of projects execution and support to the community”.

The community added that: “NAOC constructed a link bridge, paved roads, health facilities, educational infrastructure, and others in our community. But the only area we think they didn’t do well was that of employment opportunities for our indigenes.

“The relationship between the community and NAOC’s assets acquirer, OANDO can be likened to an old wine in a new bottle. And so we don’t envisage a bad relationship between the new firm and the community. As we speak, OANDO have started executing some of the projects they inherited from NAOC in the community”.