By Disun Amosun
Ravaged oil producing communities in Ondo State have been declared disaster zones requiring urgent intervention from the government at the center, if the country is not to lose substantial part of her oil revenue.
This was the consensus reached by lawmakers at Wednesday’s plenary of the House of Representatives following in-depth debate on the development raised by Rep. Ojugo Kimikanboh (Ilaje/Ese-Odo) Federal Constituency.
The affected communities according to the mover of the motion include Aiyetoro, Awoye, Molutehin and Abereke, all in the coastal region of the state, account for 5.8 per cent of the 60,000 Barrel Per Day (BPD) of Ondo State’s crude oil production output amounting to about 3.7 per cent of Nigeria’s total oil production, ranking Ondo State 5th among Nigeria’s oil producing states as captured by the NDDC law;
“The devastating sea incursions and ocean surges have been the albatross of these communities for over two decades with hundreds of homes and properties destroyed resulting in the displacement of indigenes of the communities in their thousands and culminating in disruption of oil production and further exploration in the oil-rich coastal basin.
“The surges, which have become an annual occurrence all along, have reached a peak thereby submerging more than half of each of these communities; and in the case of AWOYE in particular, the communities are now split into by the ravaging incursion.”
The lawmaker expressed concern over the development that had become so alarming that successive administrations in Ondo State appear to have been overwhelmed, helpless in the face of the gradual sinking of these communities into the ocean and almost into inevitable extinction.
Members in their debate were unanimous in the need to ensure that President Bola Tinubu, in his resolve to bring about the RENEWED HOPE mantra, is supported through Legislative backing to protect the nation’s treasure bases, especially at a time the administration is desirous to ramp up oil production for enhanced revenue for development.
Accordingly, the House in plenary called on its relevant committees to gear up in providing the much needed assistance in ensuring the development of the South-,East Region.
