Impact of Oil Exploration

THE IMPACT OF DUBRI OIL COMPANY LTD (DOCL) OPERATIONS ON GELEGELE AND ITS ADJOINING COMMUNTIES.

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Oil exploration and exploitation activities started in Gelegele community in 1963, with Philips oil company (Nig) Ltd. Philips oil company re-assigned it’s facilities and the entire OML96 in Gelegele oil field to Dubri oil company Ltd and fortunately, the same man who was the Managing Director of Phillips oil company – Dr. U.J. Itsueli became the proud owner of Dubri oil company Ltd in 1987.

Dubri oil company Ltd produces it’s oil from several oil wells in Gelegele oil field with its gas flare and Flow station located at the heart of Gelegele community within close proximity to residential buildings. The production of oil and flaring of gas at Gelegele by Dubri oil company Ltd has had a far reaching impact on Gelegele and all the adjoining communities within the Gelegele oil field. For the purpose of a clearer understanding of the situation, we shall look at the impact of DOCL operations at Gelegele under the following subheadings.

  1. HEALTH IMPACT.
  2. ACID RAIN/SOCIO – ECONOMIC IMPACT
  3. CLIMATE CHANGE / ECOLOGICAL IMPACT.
  4. NOISE/VIBRATION IMPACT.

Our analysis in this paper is based on information obtained from

  1. THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF THE FINAL DRAFT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) REPORT FOR THE RE-LOCATION OF THE FLARE STACK/SITE OF DUBRI OIL COMPANY LIMITED (DOCL) FLOWSTATION WITHIN THE GILLIGILLI FIELD ON OML96, EDO STATE, DOCL, HSE DEPT. DOCL 2000 JUNE 2000.
  1. OTHER LITTERATURES, PUBLICATIONS AND JOURNALS ON MEDICINE, SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT ETC
  1. FIELD VISIT TO GELEGELE COMMUNITY AND THE ADJOINING COMMUNITIES.

 

INTRODUCTION

Dubri oil company (DOCL) Gas flare produces particulate matters and combustion by-products such as Sulphur dioxide – SO2, Nitrogen oxide – NO2  and other Carcinogenic and mutagenic fractions like: Benzepryene, kerosene, benzene, Toluene, Dioxin (olefins), xylene and Hydrogen sulphides. The Canadian Public Health Association has noted that over 250 identified toxins are associated with gas flaring. All these are some of the harmful/poisonous pollutants Dubri oil company Ltd, produces into Gelegele and its adjoining communities. Other very toxic and poisonous pollutants including the Green House Gases; Carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane, Ethane, Propane, Butane, Pentane plus. Smoke from the gas flare can cause aerosol effect. A significant proportion of inert gases, Nitrogen and Helium are also produced, carbon monoxide is also produced which also contribute to global warming and subsequently Global climatic change. The tropospheric ozone (O3) produced, causes haze or visibility impairment resulting from photo chemicals smog.

HEALTH IMPACT.

From THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF DUBRI OIL COMPANY LTD, DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA) REPORT 2000 FOR THE RE-LOCATION OF THE FLARE STACK/ SITE, it is recorded that the following Particulate matters or gaseous oxide are produced into the Gelegele environment by DOCL at varying quantities. See table 1 below:

It should be noted that DOCL flares about 800,000m­3­/day of Associated

Gas (AG) and Non-Associated Gas – source, UNDP/World Bank Energy

Sector Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP) Strategic Gas Plant for Nigeria, February 2004, Appendix 3 table A.3.3.(Niger Delta Gas Production Survey).

 

Table 1: DOCL TOXIC (NOXIOUS, POISONOUS, HARMFUL) GAS PRODUCTION AT GELEGELE AS AT 2000

VOCS = Volatile Organic Compounds.

NOTE: We are sure the concentration of these noxious gases in the   Gelegele environment since 2000 till now must have increased exponentially.

Carbon monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NO) and volatile organic compound (VOCS) according to the Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) are “reactive”.  The three of them  produces tropospheric ozone (O3) which increases climate change.

Exposures of humans to these particulate matters at a distance of 1,325m(1.325km) at a concentration of 0.23µg/m3 and Benzene at a distance of 5,000m (5km) at a concentration of 0.025µg/m3 could cause death/sickness.

“It has been clearly established and accepted that exposure to benzene and its metabolites causes acute nonlymphatic leukemia and variety of other blood related diseases in humans”. U.S. EPA (1997) – Carcinogenic effects of benzene: An update.

Experts, (Canadian researchers, Alberta Canada), United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) have found that exposure of humans to the above particulate matter at a distance of 1,325m and at very low concentration could cause the following Health impact.

  1. Premature death
  2. Leukaemia
  3. Respiratory illnesses
  4. Cough
  5. Decreased lung function
  6. Spontaneous abortion or miscarriages
  7. Thyroid

Other diseases suffered by exposure of persons to gaseous components and Crude oil are:-

  1. Dermatitis or skin cancer
  2. Conjunctivitis
  3. Cardio-pulmonary diseases
  4. Urethritis
  5. Difficult or painful breathing
  6. Sarcomas
  7. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  8. Type II Diabetes
  9. Asthma
  10. Cancer
  11. Chronic bronchitis

Thus Gelegele people suffer death and all the above diseases as a result of Dubri Oil Company Ltd Gas Flare and Crude Oil exposure. The Dubri Oil Company flare stack/site is located at the Center of Gelegele Community, within close proximity to dwelling houses.

From the same, Dubri Oil Company, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report 2000 for the re-location of the flare stack/site at Gelegele, Edo State, it is recorded that the temperature of Gelegele and its adjoining communities increased to 35.4oC. This is equivalent to the scourging temperature of the Sahara desert in Aghades in Niger Republic during the dry season. This kind of temperature increase occasioned by Dubri Oil Company gas flare does not only affect human persons but also the vegetation,  wild life and aquatic lives. This unusually high temperature leads to migration of wild lives and aquatic lives from Gelegele and its adjoining communities. The heat generated by this temperature is prohibitively high that the best Central air conditioning system in the dwelling houses of Gelegele people would breakdown within weeks, if not days of installation. Gelegele people are actually living in HELL-FIRE while still on earth.

In the Bible books of Mark 13:14 and Matthew 24:15 when Jesus Christ spoke of the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION Standing in Holy places, or the MONSTER OF DESECRATION (The message Bible) setup where they should not be, He obviously was speaking about the very desecrating, destructive and desolating impacts of the ABOMINABLE MONSTER called Gas flare especially as it is being done at Gelegele by Dubri Oil Company Ltd. Jesus Christ admonished us to run when we see such sights of gas flares standing close to or within our communities. The gas flares according to the insinuation of Jesus Christ in the above passages causes desolation, destruction, and desecration. Gas flare by Dubri Oil Company at Gelegele is actually an ABOMINABLE MONSTER devouring Gelegele people.

The distance of the Dubri oil Company (DOCL) flare stack to the farthest residential building in Gegelele is less than 600m and the closest residential building at Gelegele to the DOCL flare stack is about 20m. For an exposure to this flare impact of Gelegele people, houses and the entire environment, for a time period of over 30years, leaves the entire Gelegele community destroyed, houses fallen, more dead human beings and people than are living. The few living human beings right now are sickly and hunger stricken and are like moving corpses waiting to drop dead at any time. The few standing houses are leaky and cracked and passes for death trap. Gelegele is facing extinction.  

ACID RAIN/SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT

The particulate matters such as SO2, NO2 etc produced from Dubri oil company Ltd, gas flare combines with atmospheric water to produce acid such as Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4)and Nitric Acid (HNO3).

According to the said Dubri Oil Company Ltd Environmental impact Assessment (EIA) report 2000 for the re-location of the flare stack/site in Gelegele, the pH of the rainfall in Gelegele and the acidity of the soil is 3.83.  According to the Nigeria Meteorological Agency NIMET, the normal pH of rain water is 5.6. It therefore shows that the rainfall in Gelegele and the surface water body is very acidic and unsafe for human consumption. Yet the Gelegele people drink from the surface water body at Kalapou, Ikpirikpiri and Toru-kubu River in Gelegele. Also because of the acidic nature of the water bodies at Gelegele, the aquatic lives (fishes and reptiles) have either migrated or are extinct. The Acidic nature of the soil has reduced agricultural productivity, there is low yield in Agriculture. Socio-economic activities in Gelegele no more bloom as a result of the presence of Dubri oil gas flare. Of course there is also the regular spillages of Crude oil into the river which has greatly destroyed fishes and other marine lives. There is poverty untold at Gelegele as a result of migration of wildlife and aquatic lives and low agricultural yield  occasioned by DOCL operations.

The acids disrupts the reproductive cycles of fishes, and acid rain leach heavy metals from soil, washing them into streams and river where they harm fishes, aquatic plants and micro-organisms.

Acid rains in Gelegele are responsible for the decline and die-back of forest trees. Another costly impact of acid rain in Gelegele is the accelerated weathering of building materials especially marble and concrete. Metal too corrodes at faster rate at Gelegele because of their exposition to acid rain.

The Acid rain on the corrugated roofing sheet corrodes the roofing sheets. The roofing sheets are made of oxides of zinc and Aluminium. When Sulphuric acid or Nitric Acid combines with Zinc or Aluminium Oxide, the result is the decay of the roofing sheet. This decay or corrosion in the roofing sheets leads to leakages and eventual collapse of the buildings at Gelegele. A greater number of the houses in Gelegele have collapsed and others very leaky and have become death trap to the inhibitants. This is all as a result of gas flare by DOCL in Gelegele and its adjoining communities.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT

Dubri Oil Company flaring of associated gas produces Carbon-dioxide (CO2) and venting of methane (CH4) which are the main Green House Gases (GHG). It is a known scientific fact that the over concentration of Green House Gases in the atmosphere reduces the stratospheric ozone (layer) and increases the tropospheric ozone layer. As the thickness of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone layer changes, ultra-violet radiation, which is an invisible radiation reaches the earth surface. On striking the earth surface, the ultra-violet ray is reflected back into the atmosphere as infra-red radiation, another invisible radiation. Both the ultra-violet and infra-red radiation which carry enormous amount of heat are trapped within the tropospheric layer of the earth’s atmosphere by the Green House Gases (GHG) thereby increasing the global temperature up to nearly 1.5oC. This increase in Global temperature alters the Global Climatic conditions. The increase in global temperature is known as global warming. As the earth gets warmed, the climatic conditions of the globe also changes. This is what is known as climate change. One of the very serious dangers and crises the world is facing is climate change. Dubri Oil Company gas flare contributes to climate change.

The Kyoto Protocol agreed in 1997 under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which Nigeria acceded to on 10th December, 2004 require both Annex 1 Countries including U.S.A., China, Russia etc and African countries including Nigeria to reduce emission of Green House Gas but in Gelegele, Dubri Oil Company has increased emission of Green House Gas thereby violating the Kyoto Protocol.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – a Scientific body setup by the United Nations (UN) and the World Meteorological Organization to consider climate changes, in its 2001 Third Assessment Report said that the global average surface temperature increased by about 0.6C over the 20th Century that it was 66 – 90% confident that most of the observed warming over the second half of the century was due to the increase in Green House Gases concentration, and projected that the temperature would increase from 1970 – 2100 by 1.4 to 5.8oC. It also stated that global mean sea level is projected to rise by 0.09 to 0.88 metres between 1990 and 2100 due primarily to thermal expansion and loss of mass from glaciers and Polar Ice-caps.

In July, 2003, Sir John Houghton, formerly co-chair of IPCC Scientific Assessment working Group and Chief Executive of the United Kingdom’s Meteorological Office said that:

“The impact of global warming is such that I have no hesitation in describing it as weapon of mass destruction”.

In January 2004, the UK Government’s chief scientist said that “Climate Change is the most severe problem we are facing today, more serious even than the threat of terrorism (and HIV/AIDS).

Climate Change is particularly serious for developing countries, and African continent is regarded as highly vulnerable with limited ability to adapt. This is the very serious danger Gelegele people have faced and continue to face as a result of Dubri Oil Company Green House Gases emission from gas flaring.

The result of climate change, is the melting of glaciers and Polar ice-caps in Andes and the Himalayas, drought and desertification or creation of deserts, sea level rise, flooding and excessive rainfall. Increased temperature resulting in global warming in some places, lead to increase in natural disasters like typhoon, Hurricane, Monsoon winds, Earthquake, and Erosion. On a micro-climatic level excessive increase in temperature leads to migration of wildlife and aquatic lives to other less hot and safe habitats. This accounts for the scarcity or near extinction of fishes, reptiles or other aquatic lives and wildlife. Loss of biodiversity in Gelegele and its environs is one effects of climate change. The presence of Dubri oil company gas flare at Gelegele has led to astronomical reduction of economic activities in Gelegele as agricultural yields are low, fishing activities are reduced. The result is poverty untold. The people of Gelegele live a beggarly life and are poverty, hunger and diseases stricken, merely able to afford a meal a day, as a result of the destroyed environment.

NOISE/VIBRATION IMPACT

The flare stack which is located within close proximity to residential buildings in Gelegele makes great vibration sound/noise. This vibration sound/noise is very deafening. This vibration sound/noise also has an earth shaking effect. This creates crack and breakage in the buildings which eventually collapses. The vibration noise/sound of the flare stack leads to migration of wildlife and aquatic lives. In paragraph 2.1 of the EIA Studies of 2000, it is stated that “the heat and noise generated from the gas flaring impacts negatively on people working in the flow station and nearby GiliGili Community”. Most people in Gelegele now have hearing problem as a result of the vibration/noise of the DOCL gas flare.

DOCL GAS FLARE AT GELEGELE A VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERNATIONAL TREATIES AND PROTOCOLS AND LEGISLATIONS

The prolonged and continued flaring and venting of gas within close proximity to residential buildings and polluting of the environment in Gelegele by Dubri Oil Company Ltd (DOCL) is a gross violation of the right of Gelegele people to “satisfactory environment favourable to development” as provided in Articles 24 of the African Charter of Human and peoples Right which Nigeria is a signatory. In Gelegele the increased emission of Green House Gases by Dubri Oil Company Ltd is a violation of the Kyoto protocol of1997 agreed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which Nigeria acceded to in 2004.

UNFULFILLED AGREEMENT, PLANS AND PROMISES

In paragraph 1.5 of the said EIA for the re-location of the flare stack/site carried out by DOCL in 2000, the company made the following declaration and we quote: “In her capacity as the operator of the GiliGili flow station facilities, DOCL declares her intention to undertake a re-location of its flare stack to reduce the associated environmental impact. DOCL takes full responsibility for the protection of the environment in compliance with all relevant international, national, state and local regulations”.

It is expected that DOCL would take full responsibility for the destruction and damages done to Gelegele people and the Environment as the operator of the Gelegele flow station facilities as the company as made in her declaration above. The Dubri Oil Company Ltd (DOCL) has failed to protect the Gelegele people and the environment.

We appreciate DOCL for accepting that its gas flare has associated environmental impact on Gelegele and its adjoining communities. We also appreciate DOCL for realizing the need to reduce the impact and thus carried out a study to that effect since June, 2000.

Unfortunately such associated impact has actually been increased by DOCL in an alarming proportion since the said EIA studies were carried out 11 years ago. The situation has gone from bad to worse as DOCL has destroyed Gelegele and its adjoining communities with its gas flare with reckless abandon. It is really pathetic, painful and also alarming that DOCL still had the effrontery to continue to flare gas at Gelegele when the company itself accepted that it’s gas flare has with it associated impact.

In the Bible book of Hosea 4:6, the word of God says “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you…”.

DOCL is killing Gelegele people and destroying the Gelegele environment because the people lack knowledge about the “Curses” of oil and gas flaring and the extent of destruction and damage done to them by DOCL .

This might also be because our forebears rejected the knowledge of God and intellectual knowledge about gas flare and its associated destructive impact on their lives and their environment.

Unfortunately, for Dubri Oil Company Ltd (DOCL), we the people of Gelegele have now accepted and embraced the knowledge of God and are now aware of the dangers and destruction done to our community by DOCL.  Dubri Oil Company Ltd cannot deceive us anymore.

Our destiny is now in our hands. We cannot allow Dubri Oil Company to destroy our destiny and our future. God is now on our side. Dubri Oil Company must pay for whatever damages it has done to our people and our environment.         

In paragraph 3, section 3 of a letter dated March 14th , 2008 to Gelegele Community, Dubri oil company Ltd stated thus:-

“In view of the tension this has generated over the years, DOCL will relocate the entire flow station and its attendant flare stack to a more convenient place where it will have less impact on the communities. This will be achieved within 30 months from resumption of operations”.

Between March 14, 2008 and till now it is over 30 months. Dubri oil company Ltd once again has reneged on its words. The company has not made any attempt to re-locate its flare stack/site and flowstation, because there has been no tension since March 14, 2008. It seems the only language Dubri Oil Company hears, accepts and understand is “tension and violence”.

Part of the concluding paragraph of the said EIA studies of DOCL in 2000 for the relocation of the gas flare/site state thus:

“It is recommended that the re-location of the flare stack should take place as planned/envisaged by DOCL in order to reduce the tension between DOCL management and the host community in terms of gas flaring”:

We wonder why the said planned/envisaged re-location of the gas flare/site of DOCL at Gelegele has not been carried out 11 years (2000 – 2011) after a study for that purpose has been carried and 15 years (1996 – 2011) after the Edo State Government through a letter dated December 17, 1996 has directed DOCL to re-locate the gas flare/site.

The only reason Dubri oil company Ltd has not re-located the gas flare/site is because Dubri oil company is not willing to re-locate the gas flare/site, since the purpose of locating the gas flare/site amongs residential houses in Gelegele, in our thinking, is to take advantage of the ignorance of Gelegele people and gradually poison and kill Gelegele people and destroy the Gelegele environment.

Dubri oil company Ltd wants all Gelegele people to die so that it can make its profit unchallenged.

The Federal Ministry of Environment in resolving the conflict between Dubri oil company Ltd (DOCL) and Gelegele community on the 21st of May, 2009 stated in paragraph (f) of the resolution as follows:

“DOCL should provide its gas flare-out programme to the Ministry urgently. This will enable the Ministry appraise the company’s readiness to comply with the Federal Government’s 2008 gas flare-out deadline. More so, as gas flare impact is one of the causes of the conflict between the company and the community”.

We do not know if DOCL provided the said gas flare-out programme to the Federal Ministry of Environment. We do know that Gas flare impact still remains the major cause of conflicts between the company and the community even when the Federal Ministry of Environment has rightly stated the obvious since 2007.

In paragraph (a) of the resolution between Dubri Oil Company Ltd and Gelegele community by the Federal Ministry of Environment on the 21st May, 2007, it is stated thus “The Issue of mitigation of the impact of DOCL activities will be discussed during periodic meetings between the company and Gelegele community with the Ministry in attendance”.

Though there has been periodic meeting between Dubri Oil Company and Gelegele community, since 21st May, 2007, the Federal Ministry of Environment has never been in attendance and the issue of mitigation of the impacts of DOCL activities on Gelegele community has never been discussed. Dubri oil company deliberately side-tracked the Federal Ministry of Environment for fear of sanctions for disobeying the Ministry’s directive of providing the said gas flare-out programme.

CONCLUSION

In paragraph 5 of a letter dated September 2, 1981, addressed to Moses Iteyi, Chairman of Gelegele community, Dr. U. J. Itsueli while working as the Managing Director of Philips Oil company (Nig) Ltd, stated as follows:-

“We went to great pains to explain that no toxic gases are released into the air after flaring, also that we do not pollute the River”.

The above statement is a contradiction of paragraph (1) section 4.5 and paragraph (1) section 6.1 respectively of the EIA studies of DOCL, 2000.

Paragraph (1) section 4.5 reads;

“The surface water within the study area were acidic”.

Paragraph (1) section 6.1 reads;

“The concentration of the noxious (toxic, harmful, poisonous) gases recorded is CO2 = 105µg/m3, NO2  = 1.4µg/m3 ,

Sox = 12.7 µg/m3 H2S = 0.35 µg/m3, VOCS = 54.6µg/m3  

It is either Dr. U. J. Itsueli is deliberately concealing the facts he knows in other to make his profit, in which case he is wicked and evil, or he is not informed about the products of gas flaring. In either cases, the above statement by Dr. U. J. Itsueli clearly shows he was grossly incompetent to be the Managing Director of an oil company like Philips Oil Company (Nig) Ltd as at the time he did. Many of the deaths and diseases that occurred and still occurs in Gelegele community without carrying out any post mortem examination since 1981 till date could be attributed to the acidic nature and the presence of Noxious (poisonous, toxic, harmful) gases in Gelegele and the incompetence of Dr. U. J. Itsueli the present Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Dubri Oil Company Ltd.

Gelegele community has practically lost its existence to Dubri oil company Ltd (DOCL).

We hold Dubri oil company Ltd responsible for all the deaths and diseases that have occurred and are still occurring in Gelegele since 1963 till date.

OUR DEMAND

We do not have another Gelegele as our home. We do not have another home land. We cannot allow Dubri Oil Company Ltd (DOCL) to destroy our home – Gelegele. We have no where else we can call our own. Gelegele is the only home we have. The existence of Gelegele make us citizens of Nigeria. Gelegele cannot be destroyed. Gelegele must not be destroyed. We must salvage whatever is left of Gelegele community. Gelegele people will not be destroyed. Gelegele people have now gotten the knowledge of God and also now aware of the destruction to done to us by DOCL.

Much as we are not preventing Dubri oil company from making its profits, Dubri Oil company too should stop destroying Gelegele with its gas flare. On the strength of the foregoing and amongs other issues, we demand thus:

  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should provide a Gas Turbine Driven Electricity for Gelegele Community within fourteen (14) days.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should provide Potable water for Gelegele Community within Fourteen (14) days.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should within fourteen (14) days from now stop its gas flare at Gelegele.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should within fourteen (14) days from today relocate its flare stack/site and entire flow station from Gelegele community; as previously agreed.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd, should within fourteen (14) days from today pay the sum of N500billion (Five hundred billion naira only) to Gelegele Community for the colossal, human, social, economic and ecological destruction it has visited on Gelegele community.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd Should within fourteen days start paying all the Chiefs and Elders of Gelegele Community, the sum of N200,000.00 (Two hundred thousand naira) per month for one person.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should within fourteen days arrange a skills acquisition programme for the teaming Gelegele Youth.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should within fourteen days set-up the Gelegele Community Development Trust Fund as agreed previously and pay all the outstanding arrears since 2008.
  1. Dubri Oil Company Ltd should within fourteen days set-up a financial programme that is designed to meet the economic and financial needs of the Gelegele women.
  1. The Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs should start, without further delay the Gelegele seaport and Gelegele new town projects.
  1. The Niger-Delta Development Commission (NDDC) should dualize the Benin-Gelegele Road.
  1. The Niger-Delta Development Commission should site a water project at Gelegele.
  1. The Niger-Delta Development Commission should complete the Electrification project at Gelegele.
  1. The Niger-Delta Development Commission should build more classroom blocks, dormitories, hostels, laboratory, library block, staff quarters, staff room etc at the secondary school in Gelegele.
  1. The Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOGPADEC) should build more classroom blocks, hostels, staff quarters, laboratory, library block etc at the secondary school in Gelegele.
  1. The Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC) should build market stalls at Gelegele.
  1. The Edo State Government should appoint a Gelegele indigene into the Edo State Oil and Gas Producing Areas Development Commission.
  1. Ovia North-East Local Government should complete the skills acquisition centre it has started in Gelegele.
  1. Edo State Government should upgrade the health centre at Gelegele to tertiary health institution.
  1. 20. We call on the Federal Government to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) into Law without further delay and without allowing the Trans-National Corporations and the indigenous Oil Companies manipulating and tampering with the Bill to their advantage.
  1. We applaud the World Peoples Climate Summit held in Cochabamba, Bolivia, especially the demand that; “The United States as the only Annex 1 Country on Earth who has not ratified, the Kyoto Protocol, has a significant responsibility towards all peoples of the World (as it is currently championing in Libya) to ratify the Kyoto Protocol and commit itself to respecting and complying with its Green House Gas emission reduction targets on a scale appropriate to the total size of its economy.
  1. We reject in its entirety the decision of the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2009, held in Copenhagen, Denmark, otherwise known as the “Copenhagen Accord”. The Copenhagen Accord which allows developed countries to offer insufficient reduction in Green House Gases is also based on voluntary and individual commitment. This leads to an increase in global temperature up to 5oC. At this temperature increase, the entire Earth will disappear in another 25years.
  1. The recent Natural, Industrial and man-made disasters’ around the World such as the Earthquake in Porte Au Prince, in Haiti, Christ Church in Australia, which claimed several thousands of lives, the Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Power Plant explosion in Fukushima in Japan which claimed over 30,000 lives and a destruction of property worth $200bilion and the recent uprising in the Arab World claiming several thousands of lives and property worth several billion of dollars destroyed especially the barbaric carnage in Libya on the part of Mammar Gadafi and elsewhere in Yemen, Syria, Bahrain is a wake-up call for all the peoples and leaders in the World.

We think the earth and its environment is sending a message to the people and leaders of the World which we are yet to understand. Crises situation like what the World is facing now, indicates that “Change” is imminent. A new World is about to be born. The old system just cannot remain anymore. We call on the leaders and peoples of the World to the new realities. A change is about to take place. The World is obviously in Birth – pains. All World leaders and peoples must  join hands to urgently mid-wife the process of change beginning from our Local environment. Let us join hands to make the World a better place, devoid of repression, oppression and injustice. A World filled with Righteousness, Peace, Justice, Equity and Fair play. We need a World where human rights and human dignity is held in high esteem. This is why we say Dubri Oil Company Ltd (DOCL) must stop Gas flaring in Gelegele community NOW!!!.