There are plans to stop oil production over possible earthquake – Alamieyeseigha

By Kingsley Chijioke

Delegates representing the Niger Delta and other oil producing states at the ongoing National Conference have disclosed plan by the oil producing communities to shut down oil production in the region over what they called signs of earthquake already threatening the area.

 One of the delegates representing the region, and a former governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyesigha, who spoke the mind of his colleagues when he called for point of information at the plenary of the conference yesterday, informed that Leadership of oil communities

in the Niger Delta visited him at the weekend and have asked him to deliver the information to the confab leadership.

According to the Bayelsa state born politician, “Leadership of oil producing communities visited me at the weekend and have asked me to convey this information to the management and the delegates of this conference that in the past 58 years, a minimum of 1.8 to 2m barrel of crude oil is been extracted from their land on daily basis.

“The consequency is that they have started experincing earth movements in their environment and there is fear that there is going to be earthquake or tsunami very soon in their land.

Continuing, Alamiesiegha who told the delegate that in the other part of the globe where oil is being explored, said that when a quantity of oil is extracted, liquid of same content was always injected to fill the space.  “In order jurisdiction, when this volume of oil is removed,

liquid of same gravity is being injected to equalize or stabilize the geology of the area. In recent times, there was gas flaring off the cost of Balyesa for over a month, the heat was so much that all the

villagers evacuated, for one month the oil companies could not clamp the gas flaring.

“So, the fear that they don’t have the capacity to withstand any earthquake in that environment and that I should inform you all that they may take the option, I repeat, they will take the option of shuting down production in that areas till concrete agreement or arrangements is made with the oil companies to warrant the injection ostabilising the environments.”

But in a swift response, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and delegate representing civil society groups, Mr. Femi Falana, who also moved a point of information said the government of Nigeria has ran into problems  looking for buyers of the crude oil as United State of America, who was the major buyer of Nigeria crude oil has stop buying from Nigeria, saying US has gotten alternative to Nigeria’s adding that “very soon there will not be buyers of our oil again”

“The government of Nigeria has run into trouble of who will buy our oil because America has gotten alternative. Angola has increased their oil production. Europe is experiencing oil glut. India that has been begging us is now turning to Asia. Both Kenya and Ghana have struck oil” the South West Human Right activist said.

In his own a delegate representing South West geo-political zone, Bashorun Sheinde Arogbofa, drew attention of the delegates to the daily killing of people in Ondo where he comes from as result of bad roads in the area which he said had claimed many lives. He said the area urgently need the attention of the conference, citing the terrible state of Iware oke-oka road as example, which he said daily claim lives.

“Our prayer is this that this conference will be kind in enough to call the attention of the federal government to this carnage”.