Niger Delta Rumbles Again

Akanimo Sampson,

Port Harcourt

Niger Delta Rumbles Again

* Security Scare in Eket

* National Security Adviser, Legislator Briefed on ExxonMobil Activities

THE Niger Delta, Nigeria's honey comb, rumbled again at the weekend over alleged growing security scare in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, where the American oil supermajor, ExxonMobil, has its operational headquarters. Guarded security reports have it that a new wave of storm is gathering in Eket over Pegasus Primary School, an ExxonMobil\ Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) community development project in the area.

Already, the attention of the National Security Adviser (NSA), General Seriki Muktara, has been drawn to the boiling situation in Eket. Similarly, the National Assemblyman representing Eket Federal Constituency, Hon. Eseme Eyiboh, has also been briefed on the emerging development in his constituency.

Eyiboh, who is also the House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Media and Public Affairs, told our correspondent on telephone yesterday that efforts were on to contain the situation from boiling over.

While confirming that the NSA has been briefed on the security scare in Eket over ExxonMobil, Eyiboh said, ''government will do everything humanly possible to ensure that the Eket situation does not boil over''.

The trouble in the area centres around the registered trustees of the oil company's primary school, and staff of the school who opted to join the senoir staff union of oil workers. Apparently uncomfortable with their membership of the union, the trustees dragged the primary school teachers, and the senior administrative staff to an Eket High Court over their membership of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

The trustees in Suit No. HEK\154\2008 are challenging the defendants membership of PENGASSAN and are accordingly praying the court to declare their membership of the oil workers union as unlawful and a breach of their contract of employment.

The trustees are also seeking a declaration by the court that staff of the primary school are not members of PENGASSAN as well as an order of perpetual injunction restraining them from joining the oil workers union.

One of the solicitors to the trustees, Mr. Bassey B. Nkanang, has deposed to a six-point affidavit in support of their originating summons. Trouble, however, started for the primary school staff on April 21, 2008 when they responded to a call by PENGASSAN for an industrial strike action against Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited over certain issues relating to staff empolyment. In the mean time,

ExxonMobil host communities in Akwa Ibom state, are seeing in the legal battle a tacit confrontation on the oil-bearing communities. The primary school staff are mainly drawn from the host communities.

Eket community leaders are also alleging that some unnamed top executives of ExxonMobil have been scheming to take over the school through the registered trustees, as their private property.

But, the oil company's spokespersons are keeping sealed lips on this potentially dangerous allegation. This aspect of the allegation, is said to be a matter of concern to the authorities.

It was, however, not very clear at the weekend whether the NSA had summoned the management of ExxonMobil for talks on the security implication of their face-off with their host communities. In the words of Eyiboh, ''government is interested in ensuring lasting peace in the Niger Delta, and in resolving most of the issues that gave rise to conflict in the region''.

ENDS

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