Tinubu Urged to Establish Special Taskforce to Address Resettlement Issues

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Finima community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State has urged President Bola Tinubu to set up a special task force to address the troubling resettlement issues in the area.

The Amadabo of Finima, HRH Aseme Alabo Dagogo Lambert Brown, Kongo XVII, wappealedeal, reiterated the community’s demand for justice, proper resettlement, and recognition of its rights as the host community of the Nigeria LNG project.

The monarch appealed to President Tinubu to intervene by “establishing a special task force to address the outstanding resettlement issues and ensure the fulfilment of agreements entered into between the community and the project’s promoters.”

He made the call during an event to commemorate June 10 anniversary of the 2021 attack on Finima residents by neighbouring communities during a protest against alleged neglect and abandonment by NLNG.

He described the anniversary’s date as a “historic reminder of the sacrifices made by the people of Finima for Nigeria’s economic development.”

According to the monarch, who is also the Chief and Head of Buoye Omuso Brown Major House, June 10 has become a permanent memorial for present and future generations of Finima people.

He stressed that the “occasion serves as a reminder of the community’s lost natural ecosystem, the unresolved challenges arising from involuntary resettlement, and the plight of many residents who remain displaced years after surrendering their ancestral land for the NLNG project.”

The monarch lamented what he described as the abandonment of the Finima Resettlement Project and several outstanding commitments contained in the community’s legacy agreement with NLNG.

He listed unresolved issues to include “waste management, rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, establishment of cottage industries, and sustainable power supply through the proposed Finima Independent Gas Power Plant.”

Alabo Brown noted that despite the provision of some infrastructure within the resettlement estate, many residents continue to face hardship, particularly those affected by displacement.

He further disclosed that legal action taken by the community resulted in a favourable court judgment, including an injunction tied to unresolved lease agreements between NLNG and the landowners.

While acknowledging NLNG’s right to appeal the judgment, the monarch expressed disappointment that the “company had not initiated dialogue with the community,” while insisting that meaningful engagement and negotiation are the most responsible path toward resolving the lingering dispute.

The traditional ruler also argued that Finima, as the original land-owning community, deserves greater participation in the benefits derived from the NLNG project.

He maintained that the community’s ownership rights predate the 1978 Land Use Act andd insisted that the people of Finima should be accorded a stake in the economic value generated from their ancestral lands.

He further emphasised that recent court pronouncements have affirmed Finima’s status as the host community under existing petroleum and local content laws, noting that the land upon which NLNG facilities and the Train 7 workers’ camp are located was provided directly by Finima.