22 Anambra oil communities demand scholarship for their children from Orient Petroleum

South East crew of the AUTHORITY Newspapers led by the Bureau Chief, ODOGWU EMEKA ODOG­WU, last weekend visited the twenty-two (22) Oil producing Communities in Anambra State. The crew met with the representatives of the communities but they said their demand would be communicated to us by their consultant. Their demand was captured in this report.

The 22 communities are requesting for Edu­cation intervention scheme in form of scholar­ship for its wards from Orient Petroleum Plc and Anambra state Government as host communities for the oil.

The communities in An­ambra East, Anambra West, Ayamelum and Ogbaru local government areas of the state are demanding for the schol­arship as part of its benefits for hosting Orient Petroleum Refinery and other collaborat­ing firms to the Oil drilling companies. The communities in Orumba North are yet to be included in the demands until prospecting starts in that area.

In a letter to Governor Wil­lie Obiano, the Consultant to the Communities and Man­aging Director/Chief Execu­tive Officer of Chinedum and Sons’ Engineering Company Nigeria limited , Dr (Engr.) Godwin Chinedu Anachuna (Ajee-Obosi), the communi­ties said the request became paramount to cushion the effects of recession and dep­rivation the communities suf­fered.

The letter to Governor Obi­ano entitled”: ‘’Appeal for free Education for four (4) local government areas registered as oil sites by Orient Petro­leum Resources Nigeria PLC’’, was copied to the Orient Pe­troleum Resources Nigeria Limited.

The letter read in part: ‘’the under listed four local govern­ment areas of Anambra state pleaded with us, Chinedum and Sons Engineering Com­pany Nigeria Limited being their Consultant involved in the registration of the affected communities with oil deposits in the state, to link them up with Anambra State and the Orient Petroleum Resources Nigeria Plc regarding giving them scholarship awards to their brilliant children who are keen to further their educa­tion at all levels (Primary, Sec­ondary and University).

“Their plea was based on their expressions on their backwardness in education and have been praying to God Almighty for their request to be granted through your Ex­cellency.

“Sir we would be very grate­ful if their kind request is given due consideration and approval for implementation’’, the letter concluded.

According to Engr. Anachu­na the communities gave him authority to represent them and negotiate with companies prospecting oil and gas as well as other mineral resources in their land.

He said the essence of the scholarship to the students of these communities is to fore­stall the Niger Delta experi­ences as those to be trained starting from now would be the foot soldiers and ambas­sadors of peace and goodwill for the companies as well as their parents and relatives. He said some others who may not be brilliant for school could be trained in skills and Entrepre­neurship to ensure that they are busy and shun being used to perpetuate evil.

The Authority recalls that these Communities in the four local government areas of Anambra State registered as oil sites by Orient Petroleum Resources Nigeria Plc have demanded for compensa­tion, royalty, employment and scholarship from the company January this year but nothing has happened, hence the re­minder but this time around on Scholarship.

The legal Adviser to the Con­sultant to the Oil producing communities Engr. Anachuna and his company Chinedum & Sons Engineering Com­pany Nigeria Limited, Justice Peter A.C. Obidigwe, Rtd, a former Chief Judge of the state wrote the state government on behalf of Chinedum and Sons Engineering Company Nigeria Ltd requesting for the aforementioned benefits.

Anachuna, Ajee-Obosi, a life patron of Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ) said aside Orumba North with over­whelming oil and gas deposits but has not be shortlisted for prospecting by Orient or any other company for that the four councils are Ogbaru, Ay­amelum, Anambra East and Anambra West are deprived and needed all the support to overcome some of its chal­lenges.

The Authority South East reports that Orient Petroleum Resources Nigeria Plc is pros­pecting oil in OPL 915/916 Seismic acquisition project and had carried out Environ­mental Impact Assessment (EIA) as carried out by Seismic crew of Sinopec Changjiang Engineering Services Limited n behalf of Orient Petroleum Resources Plc. They are work­ing on the oil mining lease by the government of Federal Re­public of Nigeria. They equally carried out extensive environ­mental, Societal, and Health Impact Assessment (EIA) on the area.

The seismic crew operated primarily on six areas includ­ing stakeholders engagement, survey and line cutting, shot hole preparation (drilling), Seismic data recording, dam­ages Assessment, and Com­pensation, as well as Environ­ment Restoration.