The Ogbia High Court sitting in the Bayelsa State capital, Yenagoa, has ruled that Otuabagi is the host community to the first oil well that crude oil was discovered in commercial quantities in Nigeria in 1956.

It also ordered “the Oloibiri community to desist from demanding a relocation of the Museum and Research Centre Project or any part thereof since the earmarked project can only be sited where artefacts such as the first oil well are located.”

The presiding judge, Justice Simon Amaduobogha, gave the ruling in a consent judgement which entered terms of settlement in a suit marked OHC/10/2021, filed before the court by the Oloibiri community.

The settlement was reached by parties following mediation by the Ijaw National Congress (INC).

The Oloibiri community instituted the legal action against the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bayelsa State Government, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited (SPDC), Otuabagi, Otuogidi and Opume communities in the Ogbia LGA.

The court further held that “the Oloibiri Museum and Research Centre be sited in Otuabagi – the birthplace where crude oil was first discovered in commercial quantities in 1956.”

The judgement, which cannot be appealed, has resolved an age-long contradiction over the rightful owners of the land where crude oil was first struck in commercial quantities and quality in Nigeria in 1956.

The ruling, therefore, affirmed Otuabagi community in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State of Nigeria as the rightful owners of the Oloibiri oilfield.

Checks showed that the famed Oloibiri oilfield was made up of 21 oil wells. These wells were drilled and named sequentially, starting with the first discovery on the 15 of January 1956 in Otuabagi, in the-then Oloibiri District, Brass Division, in pre-independence Nigeria.

Consequently, Otuabagi hosted oil wells 1,2, 3 ,5, 7,8,9,10, 11,13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21, while Otuogidi hosted well 6 and 12, and Opume hosted well 4 but Oloibiri community had none.

Recall that in 2021, the Federal Government approved the siting of the Museum and Research Centre project in Otuabagi, Otuogidi and Opume- landlords of the Oloibiri oilfield- at a cost of N117 billion, and being developed by the Petroleum Technology Development Fund and the NCDMB with the SPDC and the Bayelsa State government as partners.