PRESIDENT BUHARI, DSS, NSA OTHERS FIRED OVER AGENCY'S OIL DEAL FRAUD

A Legal Practitioner, Barr. Innocent Ezeukwu has petitioned the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, the Director- General DSS, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Auditor- General of the Federation over the high level of impunity and corruption perpetrated by some very senior officials of NOSDRA(Sir Peter Idabor- DG NOSDRA and B.O Akindele- Deputy Director NOSDRA and their cohorts) over oil spills that occurred in Okpai-Oluchi Kingdom in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State in December,2009. The first oil spill occurred on 17th December,2009. 

The causative company (Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company-SEEPCO) refused to report the oil spills until 13th September,2010 when Mr. Ikechukwu Nwabueze (the subhead of Umu-Zoma family in Umu-Enuese) through his secretary Engr. Friday Ani reported the oil spills of not only Okw ‘B’ location of 17th December,2009 but also for other three locations which the causative company-SEEPCO deliberately refused to report. According to section 6(2) of the NOSDRA Act 2006, An oil spiller is by this act to report an oil spill to the Agency (NOSDRA) in writing not later than 24 hours after the occurrence of an oil spill, in default of which the failure to report shall attract a N500,000.00 penalty for each day of failure to report the occurrence. Unfortunately, SEEPCO, the causative company failed to report the oil spills for three separate locations (OKW’B’, OKW’B’ Extension, OKW ‘C’ and Obeze locations). Barr. Innocent Ezeukwu alleged in his petitions to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the default fines for SEEPCO not reporting oil spills amounted to over 3 billion naira(N3,000,000,000.00) due to Federal Government of Nigeria which the causative company –SEEPCO ought to have paid into one of the accounts being operated by NOSDRA as at then before the introduction of Treasury Single Account( TSA). 

The question is, Was this money paid by SEEPCO to NOSDRA? Into which account was it paid? Was it remitted to the Federal Government account? If it has not been paid since 2009 to date, why? Barr. Innocent Ezeukwu claimed in his separate petitions to President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Security Adviser (NSA) that several attempts through several petitions to EFCC, ICPC, Police and other agencies to probe these super rich Civil Servants turned Billionaires (Sir Peter Idabor, B. O. Akindele and others representing NOSDRA) who conspired with SEEPCO in further polluting the Okpai- Oluchi Kingdom without paying compensation to the rightful owners of the damaged property since 2009 after a Joint Investigation Visit (JIV) and Damage Assessment had been carried out since September 21st, 2010 yielded no positive results. Barr. Innocent Ezeukwu also alleged in his petitions that one of his clients (Mr. David Enakireru- an environmental consultant with NOSDRA was brutalized by army personnels guarding SEEPCO oil facilities and left him incapacitated and he can no longer perform his conjugal marital function of sleeping with his only wife for reporting and exposing SEEPCO’s oil spillage). NOSDRA and SEEPCO has up till date refused to compensate Mr. David Enakireru for him to get treatment. He also claimed in his petition that one of his clients (late Osita Adikun) died as a result of drinking the polluted water unknowingly and the cause of his death (chemical poisoning) certified at Federal Medical Centre Asaba. Up till date the family of the late Osita Adikun who lost their bread winner has not been compensated. 

Several attempts to make the causative company- SEEPCO to pay up the compensation money to the individual families whose property were damaged by the oil spills has met brick walls because NOSDRA, the Agency saddled with the responsibilities of regulating, supervising, advising and sanctioning oil spillers- as in the case of SEEPCO has compromised and neglected their primary responsibilities of sanctioning SEEPCO- who up till date has continued to pollute the poor community with the connivance of a Pro-NOSDRA faction (some family members of Umu-Enuese family who are represented by a legal practitioner, Barr.J.H Ijeoma, who also doubles as a lawyers to both NOSDRA and SEEPCO). Barr. Innocent Ezeukwu through his petitions to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the National Security Adviser(NSA) to the President, Director- General DSS, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Auditor-General of the Federation, has appealed to the Federal government to direct all anti-graft agencies/MDAs in possession of his petitions to immediately take action on them and probe /investigate these super rich Civil Servants (Sir, Peter Idabor-DG NOSDRA, B.O Akindele- Deputy Director NOSDRA and other senior officials of the Agency) who have connived with SEEPCO to defraud the Federal Government of over 3 billion naira(N3,000,000,000.00) and also stop SEEPCO from further polluting and burying toxic waste in the community which is not in line with oil exploration standards.

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