At the early hours of Monday, a section of the Nembe Community, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, converged, without prior notice, on and barricaded the entrance to Aiteo’s logistics base interrupting normal work operations and ignoring the intervention of the State security task force.
Following protracted engagement with them, they agreed to disband, while leaving behind representatives to present their demands to the company.
It is instructive that this development is coinciding with the resumption of operations of the NCTL. These disturbances disrupt our operations and lead to production deferment which affects not just the company but revenues accruing to the government and people of Nigeria.
Aiteo reiterates her commitment to continuing to work with her host communities to achieve an amicable relationship. Moreover, the Nembe Community provides most of the supply, logistics and security contracts going into our local operations. Apart from encouraging community participation in this manner, the company has, in addition, continued to provide considerable amenities and services directly to the community in a most beneficial and impactful way. Hence, we remain open and are committed to constructive dialogue for the development of both the nation and the community.
It takes several layers of engagement to get key deliverables to the community as the asset is operated under a joint venture with NNPC, therefore, key decisions must be made upon due consultation with all stakeholders.
We appeal to our host communities, our partners in development, to patiently await the final outcome of ongoing processes initiated to implement sustainable development for all parties.