Photo: Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori
By Didimoko A. Didimoko, Warri
A senior traditional titleholder in oil-producing Warri Kingdom, Delta State, has asked the federal environment ministry to disregard protests over the naming and location of the proposed Abigborodo oil field, saying the asset lies within Abigborodo community in Warri North Local Government Area.
Chief Emmanuel Oritsejolomi Uduaghan, the Alema of Warri Kingdom, said claims by the Udogun Okpe (Orode-in-Council) challenging the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) public display for the Abigborodo Field in PPL 220 were inaccurate and should not delay the process.
In a letter to the Minister of Environment and the permanent secretary, Uduaghan said the field had been correctly named and sited by Navante Exploration and Production Limited, adding that previous operator Chevron Nigeria Limited had recognised Abigborodo as the host community.
Uduaghan traced the dispute to colonial-era records, arguing that the Okpe leadership did not administer the Okpe-Sobo Forest Reserve. He cited documents from 1931 indicating Okpe authorities told colonial administrators they had no land to contribute to the reserve, records he said are held at the National Archives in Ibadan.
He said representatives of the Olu of Warri wrote to colonial authorities in 1932 asserting Itsekiri ownership of the land. Although the reserve was later constituted, Abigborodo residents continued to farm there, leading to arrests and a 1940 court case in Sapele in which a magistrate discharged the farmers after affirming Abigborodo ownership, he added.
Uduaghan said subsequent colonial investigations and later actions by the Delta State government, including a 1996 land release and probes ordered by former governor Ifeanyi Okowa, upheld Abigborodo’s claims.
He said the EIA public display was an environmental process and not a forum to revisit land ownership disputes, and urged the ministry to proceed. He added that Abigborodo would ensure a peaceful operating environment for Navante.
Representatives of the Udogun Okpe were not immediately available for comment.
