Authorities of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) have been urged to prevail on Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to include the oil-producing community of Aja-Omaetan in Warri North Local Council of Delta State in Chevron’s planned Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCDTF).

The request is contained in protest letters and pre-action notices written on behalf of the Aja-Omaetan community by their lawyer, Prof. Yemi Akinseye-Geoege (SAN) to Chevron, the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of NMDPRA and NUPRC.

The Aja-Omaetan community is claiming that Chevron plans to exclude it from the list of beneficiaries of the planned Trust Fund owing to past disputes over oil spillages.

While arguing that the NMDPRA and NUPRC, as regulators, have the duty to ensure that operators in the oil industry comply with the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Aja-Omaetan community has threatened to sue should both agencies fail to prevail on Chevron.

One of the letters reads: “Our client is one of the communities accommodating the Crude Oil and Gas Pipelines of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Dibi field, Warri North Local Council of Delta State and has been host to Chevron Nigeria Limited facilities for years without any benefits from Chevron Nigeria Limited…’’

Source- Guardian Newspaper.