Yenagoa – Kolokuma/Opokuma and Asaingbene communities in Bayelsa have accused Shell Petroleum Development Company of breaching the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) it signed with them in 2014.
The Cluster Development Communities (CDC) also decried what they termed the insensitivity of Daewoo E & C and Morpol Jihad, Shell’s servicing companies in the areas.
They made the allegations in a communiqué made available to newsmen in Yenagoa on Sunday after a meeting at the Palace of King Okpoitari Diongoli, Monarch of Opokuma Kingdom in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area.
The communiqué signed by Diongoli alleged that Shell had failed to remit N50 million annual development fund as contained in the pact since 2014.
Diongoli said that Shell also reneged on the payment of N768 million top-up fund being 2 per cent of the total project it was carrying out in the areas as contained in the MoU.
“No member of the cluster is an employee of the SPDC either as a management staff, middle manpower or even at the lowest category.
“SPDC from every indication is not alive to its corporate social responsibility to our cluster,’’ he said.
Diongoli complained that the name “Koroama SPUU 1” as given to the Akaranbiri community in Opokuma Clan manifold facility of the oil firm was alien to them as Koroama is outside the community.
“Koroama is a community in Gbaran Clan of Yenagoa Local Government Area while Akaranbiri is a community in Opokuma Kingdom in Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area.’’
He alleged that the oil company had not accorded traditional institutions the required respect, and expressed concern that local content jobs which ought to be handled by indigenes were awarded to non-indigenes.
Diongoli further expressed worry over the shoddy manner in which community workers were laid off by Daewoo without recourse to Nigerian Labour laws.
He urged Shell and its servicing companies to live up to the spirit and letter of the GMoU on its corporate social responsibility.
The Media Relations Manager of Shell, Mr Precious Okolobo, could not be reached for comments. (NAN)