Passionate Appeal for Inclusion of Udu LGA Roads in Ongoing Rehabilitation Projects

Your Excellency,

Rt. Hon. (Elder) Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori,

Executive Governor, Delta State, Nigeria.

Your Excellency Sir,

With deep respect and a heart filled with concern, I wish to humbly draw your attention to a matter of great importance affecting the people of Udu Local Government Area.

To my utmost surprise, the recently approved list of roads slated for rehabilitation did not include a single road within the Udu LGA. This has left many residents disheartened, wondering what might have gone wrong or whether the people of Udu have been forgotten in the scheme of infrastructural development under your administration.

Your Excellency, the state of roads across Udu metropolis—especially the route from the Express Junction to Utoama, Ujevwu, and Obogo—is in an appalling condition. These roads are not only a threat to public safety but are also capable of endangering the lives of vulnerable individuals, such as pregnant women, school children, and the elderly. The Owhrowurun road from beginning to end is equally in dire need of urgent attention.

The people of Udu are peaceful, hardworking, and supportive of government efforts. However, the neglect of basic infrastructure has led to growing frustration, with many unable to speak positively about the current administration due to their lived reality.

I sincerely plead with you, sir, to extend your developmental vision to Udu LGA. Let your good works touch every part of the state, including our long-overlooked roads. Please do not allow the actions or silence of a few individuals within the local leadership to overshadow the cries of the general populace. The suffering is real, and the time to act is now.

Your intervention in this regard will not only improve the lives of the people but also restore their hope and confidence in your government.

Thank you for your kind attention, and may God continue to bless and guide your leadership.

Yours respectfully,

Snr. Cmr. OWHE Emmanuel, NIM chtd.

Editor-In -Chief

Eye Reporter News Online/ Niger Delta Telescope 

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Urhobo HOSTCOM Protest Suspension of Agoyo As They Call On Gov. OkowaTo lnvestigate , How Isibeluo Embezzled N325 Million Meant To Purchase Buses, ICT TrainingFor Youths of HOSTCOM

 Urhobo HOSTCOM Protest Suspension of Agoyo As They Call On Gov. OkowaTo lnvestigate , How Isibeluo Embezzled N325 Million Meant To Purchase Buses, ICT TrainingFor Youths of HOSTCOM

By: Wilson Macaulay
Warri

Members of the the Host Communities of Nigeria Producing oil and Gas (HOSTCOM) Urhobo Ethnic Nationality yesterday ,Thursday August 12th 2021 at the HOSTCOM Secretariat , Uti street off PTI road Effurun, headquarter of Uvwie Local Government Area in Delta State Protested the purported illegal suspension of Hon.Andrew Agoyo the Chairman of HOSTCOM Urhobo Nation by Evangelist Gabriel lsibeluo ,the Delta State Chairman of HOSTCOM and his cohorts whom the protesters alledged to be non members of HOSTCOM.

Hon. Andrew Agoyo the Chairman of HOSTCOM Urhobo Ethnic Nationality
Who addressed the Press during the protests stated that Evangelist Gabriel lsibeluo the Delta State Chairman of HOSTCOM is the problem because he has committed so much attrocity concerning misappropriation and embezzlement of HOSTCOM funds to the tune of N325 Million released by the Delta State Government through DESOPADEC to purchase
buses, train HOSTCOM Youths and women in lCT , monthly stipends, amongst other things.

An official Protest letter addressed to His Excellency, Senator Dr Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State signed by Hon. Andrew Agoyo and Comrade Benson Ogbolo, Chairman and Secretary respectively ,titled a clear cut case of abuse of power, gross misconduct , corruption, enrichment and multiple fraud, the need to immediately investigate the Delta State HOSTCOM Chairman , Evangelist Gabriel lsibeluo , to avert break down of law and order as he has become too despotic in his leadership style for HOSTCOM which is a well known peaceful organization .

                                                            Agoyo, the Urhobo Nation HOSTCOM boss Who  felicitated with Governor Okowa on his six (6) years of laudable achievements  said:.  "We are grateful to God for bringing someone like your Excellency, as the Governor of Delta State.  Indeed, Delta State has never had it so  good until you took over the saddle  of leadership. On our part, we are  here registering  our àppreciation for the  kind gesture you have  extended to HOSTCOM, indeed we are eternally grateful. "

Agoyo ,While expressing the grouse of the Urhobo Youths for the protest said : ” The youths are protesting for a number of good reasons concerning the
fraudulent activity of Gabriel lsibeluo Which in his determination to close the evil tracks resorted to another illegality by attacking my person who is opposed
to his corrupt regime.

He added: ” The Urhobo Nation of HOSTCOM is saying that the Board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission approved Five brand new buses for Hostcom , Delta State at the cost of Twenty – Five Million ( N25,000,000.00 ) Naira per one . The sum of One Hundred and Twenty Five Million ( N125,000,000.00 ) Naira was paid to the Delta State HOSTCOM Account for that purpose . These buses were meant to be given to all the Ethnic Nationalities that makes up HOSTCOM , Delta State . The State Chairman bought five fairly used buses at the rate of Seven Million ( N7,000,000.00 ) Naira each .

Agoyo further disclosed that lsibeluo gave one fairly used bus to the Secretary perceived to be loyal to him and converted the remaining four fairly used buses for commercial purpose and the proceeds coming from that deal goes to lsibeluo private pocket, adding that , the Urhobo Ethnic Nationality was not given any of the fairly used buses .

The Youths protested and I Agoyo supported them that is my offence against Isibeluo he said.

Agoyo who pleaded that the Delta State Government should unravel the racket going on in HOSTCOM continued :
” The Board of Delta State Oll Producing Areas Development Commission gives the sum of Five Hundred Thousand ( N500,000.00 ) Naira monthly to HOSTCOM , Delta Chapter as stipends and this monies is to be shared amongst the Ethnic Nationalities that makes up HOSTCOM , Delta State, to run the affairs of the Ethnic Nationalities.

He lamented that three ( 3 ) years till date , a dime has not been given to Urhobo Ethnic Nationality .
We have undeniable evidence that the Delta State Chapter of HOSTCOM under the watch of lsibeluo has received the sum of Eighteen Million, N18M Which he must account for as the Delta State Chairman of HOSTCOM before peace can return as we have lost confidence in his leadership , Agoyo concluded.

Chief Paul lbeyon ,Chairman HOSTCOM Uvwie Local Government Area Chapter
who also spoke during the protest about
the mischievousness of the State Chairman said: ” One reason for the protest is that the Delta State HOSTCOM Secretariat where we are now number eleven , Uti Street off P TI road Effurun have about six ( 6 ) flats and in fairness the Urhobo Ethnic Nationality is entitled to one flat, like Isoko , ljaw , Ndokwa , Ika etc that have a flat each given to them by the Delta State Chairman Evangelist Gabriel Isibeluo who deliberately refused Urhobo Ethnic Nationality their own right to get a flat , even though there is a vacant flat .”

Chief lbeyon, the Uvwie HOSTCOM Chair explained that despite repeated pleas and demands by us to be given our own share of the available flats , the Delta State Chairman of HOSTCOM refused , hence we are protesting to ask him the question ,what is our offense?”

Ibeyon, While stating another reason for the protest said: ” We are protesting against Isibeluo’s monumental fraudulent conversion of the sum of Ninety Million ( N90,000,000.00 ) Naira which is the fraudulent profit made from his fraudulent deals using the advantage of his office as the State Chairman.

While reacting to the purpoted illegal suspension of Agoyo by the State Chairman lbeyon said: ” We want lsibeluo to be thoroughly investigated as we the Urhobo Chairmen of various LGA stand in full solidarity to affirm that Hon. Andrew Agoyo remains our authentic Chairman .”

Comrade Sweet Otiotio the Urhobo Ethnic Youth Leader of HOSTCOM who also ventilated the anger of the Youths concerning the untoward behavior of the
State Chairman said: “We are here protesting against the lsibeluo regime to
let Governor Okowa know that we are being oppressed. As you can see it is a peaceful protest, all we need is for the relevant authorities to call lsibeluo to order ,because he has tampered with too many things that is causing disaffection in the HOSTCOM family .”

Comrade Otiotio remarked : ” Beside what others have said , one other reason we are protesting against lsibeluo bad leadership is that ,as the State Chairman, he arranged, co-ordinated and sponsored a fictitious and faceless petition against Hon.. Andrew Agoyo Chairman HOSTCOM Urhobo Nation just because he demanded for Urhobo Ethnic Nationality’s share of what is coming to HOSTCOM.

The Urhobo HOSTCOM Youth Leader
added: ” Isibeluo threatened the life of both our Chairman, Hon. Andrew Agoyo and Chief Paul Ibeyon – Uvwie Local Government Chairman of HOSTCOM. He said our Chairman Hon. Andrew Agoyo and Chief Paul Ibeyon “the cloud is dark for you and I will crush both of you”. We have pieces of evidence to prove this, Otiotio posited.

Hon Happy Gbeke , the Secretary Urhobo HOSTCOM Youth who also spoke said: ” ” We are protesting because lsibeluo the State Chairman collected the sum of Three Million (N3,000,000.00) from a contractor handling the Forcados Terminal Pipeline Contract , a project which passed through Urhobo Ethnic Nationality. We were supposed to be employed as a result of the said contract but lsibeluo sold out the job slots meant for the Youths and collected the sum of Three Million (N3,000,000.00) Naira without a dime given to the Youths and Women of Urhobo Ethnic Nationality. “

Hon Gbeke added : ” We are saying it loud and clear that the Youths and Women of Urhobo HOSTCOM do not want to take the laws into our hands that is why we are here in a peacful protest , calling on our amiable Governor to do justice to the abnormalities of lsibeluo.”

Gbeke ,while emphasizing the need for the immediate probe in his protest speech stated that lsibeluo also cornered the sum of Fifty Million (N50,000,000.00) Naira meant for ICT to train the youths and Women to be self employed .

He alledged that as the State Chairman , lsibeluo refused to use the said monies he collected for the lCT Programme, the purpose for which it was meant .

Hon Emmanuel Okiemute Eyakagba Executive Assistant to Governor Okowa on HOSTCOM Affairs who also spoke advised the protesting Delta Central Youths of Urhobo Ethnic Nationality to
calm down , promising that their message will be conveyed to the relevant authorities for appropriate action and amicable solution to both
parties.

Hon Eyakagba, the Gov. Aide emphasized the need for Deltans to maintain peace which is essential to
sustain the prosperity brought by the
SMART Agenda and to enable the road Master Governor finish Strong with the Stronger Delta Vision by the grace of God

ISOKO YOUTH ASSEMBLY – IYA WORLDWIDE ISSUES SIX DAYS ULTIMATUM TO NPDC ON ISOKO ETHNIC MARGINALISATION.

DELTA: ISOKO YOUTH ASSEMBLY – IYA WORLDWIDE ISSUES SIX DAYS ULTIMATUM TO NPDC ON ISOKO ETHNIC MARGINALISATION.

The leadership of Isoko Youth Assembly - IYA Worldwide have critically observed the disgusting nature of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) on the good people of Isoko ethnic nationality.

It is pertinent to note that the marginalisation of Isoko nation is now at the level that the management of this multinational company has absolutely sidelined her offsprings due to their peaceful conducts to create a peaceful atmosphere as a figure head host community in Delta State.

The leadership of Isoko Youth Assembly - IYA worldwide wish to remind the management of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) at this point in time that, the current marginalised Isoko ethnic group was the first place in Delta State and the second place in Nigeria where crude oil was discovered in commercial quantity in the year 1957 after Oloibiri in Rivers State now Bayelsa State in 1956 in Ijaw land. Also, the Isoko ethnicity is the highest producer of crude oil onshore among others in the Niger Delta region.

It will interest you to note that Isoko nation of Delta State is having over 250 oil-wells and 6 flow stations namely: Owhe, Uzere (West and East), Oroni, Olomoro and Ogini which this multinational company (Nigerian Petroleum Development Company- NPDC) is the operator of HEOSL / Shoreline operating OML 30 in the infield and TFP.

One of the core mandates that ought to be expecting from this inhuman exploitation of the Isoko people and the continuous exploration of crude oil in Isoko land was to adequately engage the indigenous people for a fair share of their minerals resources while fixing them into various sectors, as well as to train and educate the youths of the oil-rich nationality as away to curb hostilities and militancy, and as well developing key infrastructure to promote diversification and productivity in Isoko land.

Our demands:

Employment, Contract Jobs, Youths empowerment programs, NPDC should meet up with their social responsibility, Gainfully Incorporated into the GMOU e.t.c

In light of the above, the leadership of the incorporated Isoko Youth Assembly - IYA being the umbrella body of Isoko youth worldwide have without hesitation given the management of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) six days ultimatum starting from Sunday May 30th to elapse Friday June 4th, 2021.

Failure to comply with this gentleman warning signal will leave us with no other choice than to immensely mobilize to cause explosion to damage all oil facilities of HEOSL, Infield, TFP and Shoreline operating under the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) within Isoko and Urhobo geographical entities.

A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NIGH!

Comr. Charles Mukoro

IYA President.

Host community fund not expunged from PIB — Draft c’ttee member

LAGOS — Contrary to widely circulated reports, the Host Community Fund has not been erased from the Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB. fuel-pump A top member of the bill drafting committee, who disclosed this yesterday, said the fund would come in the last of the four new bills to be sent for legislative consideration to govern operations in the petroleum industry. The member said in a telephone interview with Vanguard, yesterday, that the Host Community Bill would come under the Petroleum Revenue Bill, which would deal with what the government was expected to do with income earned from oil and gas resources. The source, who had headed one of the petroleum industry regulatory agencies, and who preferred anonymity, said: “When people talk about host community fund, you can’t find it in a governance bill; host community fund is management, not governance. “I am really surprised at all the reactions over the host community fund. Indeed, they are reacting over nothing, because that portion of the old Petroleum Industry Bill, PIB, is in the last of the four bills to be sent to the National Assembly, which we are still working on. “The Petroleum Industry Governance Bill before the legislators now is one quarter of the bills they will be considering. There are four bills in all, and they include the Fiscal Regime Bill, the Upstream and Midstream Administration Bill; and the last, the Petroleum Revenue Bill.” He wondered why the host community fund would be lumped under a governance bill, considering that it is related to revenue management issues. He said: “The Petroleum Governance Bill concerns institutions, the roles of these institutions, the powers to be conferred on these institutions, transparency and accountability issues that will be used to block all the loopholes and leakages in the system. “This is because the bulk of the problems in the industry today relates to governance issues. As a result, most of what is happening today, whether in NNPC or anywhere, is all due to leakages and poor governance because you don’t have the right people. Some companies are not even being governed properly. “The Fiscal Regulatory Bill will be a different bill altogether because part of the contentions of the old PIB is the fiscal regime. So it is being separated so that if there will be future amendment, you don’t need to upturn the whole bill, but you take the part that you want to work with. ‘’This is similar with what we did with the Nigerian Content Bill, we yanked it off from the PIB in 2010 to get operations going in that respect, so nobody can say Nigerian Content is no longer there. In fact, the Content Act is undergoing its second review.” 4 bills to be passed in phases The source also explained that the four bills would be sent in phases to avoid the lacuna created by the omnibus PIB, which the legislators found difficult to pass for many years because of its volume. He said: “All the other three bills are currently being worked on by various committees, and they will be presented to the National Assembly once we are done with them. So there is no need for the legislators to wait for all the four before they can start deliberating on them.” As rightly said, the 53-paged Petroleum Industry Governance Bill 2016, obtained by Vanguard, identifies all the institutions that will govern the petroleum industry going forward. Misunderstanding of Bill However, negative reactions, even from some legislators, who have not read the bill, have trailed it because of the erroneous belief that the Host Community Fund had been removed from the bill. The former PIB had proposed some percentage increase for host communities from oil and gas revenues from 10 to 15 per cent, which had drawn criticisms from some sections of the public, particularly the northern part, who felt it was giving undue advantage to the south. But the benefit was not only meant for the host producing communities but every other community in Nigeria, which hosts one form of oil and gas asset or another. According to the source, what Nigeria needs at this point in time is unity, adding that experts should be allowed to do their job rather than being distracted with protests. Don’t open flank of conflict, HOSTCOM warns NASS Meanwhile, the National Coordinator of Host Communities, Oil and Gas, HOSTCOM, Prince Maikpobi Okareme, yesterday, reiterated the group’s opposition to the new bill, warning that the legislature would only open a new flank of conflict which might be difficult to control. He said the late President Musa Yar’Adua introduced the concept of 10 percent equity participation of the host communities with a guaranteed minimum of $500 million profit per annum. Community Development Advocacy Foundation, CODAF, a non-governmental organisation, said the removal of the host communities fund would reawaken crisis in the Niger Delta. CODAF in a statement by its Executive Director, Mr Richard Benin, said: “The removal of the host communities development fund from the proposed PIGB is not surprising, considering the array of vested interests and corrupt practices for which the petroleum sector in Nigeria has been notoriously known.’’ Also, former NUPENG General-Secretary, Chief Frank Kokori, on his part, said: “For now, I think it’s still a speculation till it’s laid bare before the National Assembly for it to be debated and then we can know how the issue goes. ‘’The issue on ground is what have the governors of the Niger Delta states done with the 13 percent derivation that they have been collecting over the years?”