The host communities of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State under the aegis of Concerned SPDC EA Host Communities Forum, have called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately relieve from office, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, for abuse of office and breach of public trust.
This was contained in a letter by the Forum to the president and signed April 14, 2022, on behalf the SPDC host communities in the order of Jonah Engineyouwei (Amatu 1 Community), Chief Alex Oboity (Letugbene Community), Chief Duoduo G. Uyadughe (Ezetu Community), Prince Amos G. Ezetu (Bisangbene Community), Mr. Sagbegha Jude (Ogbeintu Community) and Chief David Hiemogha (Agge Community).
The Forum requested the president to invoke his powers as contained in Section 81 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Development (NOGID) Act 2010 to sack Engr. Wabote whom it describes as “a person not fit and proper to hold the said office” and is “so corrupt”.
According to the Forum: “Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote is so corrupt that he finds it very difficult and has never implemented the provisions of Sections 65, 66, 67 and 68 of NOGID Act 2010. Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote is a former staff of the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) and thus he has been corruptly shielding SPDC’s violations of the provisions of the NOGID Act 2010.
“Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote and his cabal in SPDC through the SPDC GMoUs in particularly in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has blatantly violated the provisions of Sections 65, 66, 67 and 68 of NOGID Act 2010 for the purpose of shielding contracts which they subsequently award to themselves and cronies.
“The activities of Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote and his SPDC cohorts using the SPDC GMoU structure to shield contracts from host communities in Ekeremor, Southern ljaw and other Local Government Areas of Bayelsa State have created so much insecurity in Bayelsa State to the extent where the Government of Bayelsa State had to issue a press statement to suspend all GMoUs in Bayelsa State. Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State through his chief press secretary Mr. Daniel Alabrah on 26/3/2021 announce the suspension of GMoU in Bayelsa State and stated that ‘the suspension is on the heels of an allegation by the Bayelsa State
Government that SPDC has being fueling crisis and insecurity in its Host Communities in the Niger Delta’.”
Continuing, the Forum said: “Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote has consistently and deliberately flouted the very clear and unambiguous provisions of Sections 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 of the Nigerian OiI and Gas lndustry and Content Development Act, 2010 to short change our communities from benefiting from contracts, employment and other benefits that ought to naturally inure from the SPDC EA Field OML 79 in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State to our communities.
“For instance, since 2019 up until the time of writing this complaint against Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, the SPDC Nigeria Limited had embarked on several projects at the SPDC EA Field. There had been SPDC SEA Eagle Symp Leg Repairs for three consecutive times i.e. 2018, 2019 and 2021. Drilling for OML 79 Further OiI Development Projects 2018/2019 to 2021 without any compliance whatsoever with the provision of the NOGID Act 2010.”
The Forum also accuses Engr. Wabote of depriving host communities of some under-listed contracts which he diverted to his cronies in SPDC. The said contracts, all 14 in numbers, include: two drilling rigs supply contracts, 10 vessels supply contracts, portable water supply, industriaI waste management contract, domestic waste management contract, rigs move contracts in and out. Others are: Automotive Gas Oil (AGO) supply, catering services, labour supply, drilling chemicals supply, sea-bed survey contract, DPI Diver Big Vessel supply contract, platform support vessels, and dry ration supply.
The Forum also noted that the corrupt actions of Engr. Wabote had prompted one Mr. Goodnews Gereghewei to institute a court case against him and the NCDMB Board at the Federal High Court of Yenagoa Division with suit Number FHC/YNG/CS/50/2020, with the order of the court served on him which he refused to obey “simply because due process was not followed in the Awards of contracts regarding the FOD project & the SPDC Symp Leg Repairs.
“In addition, contempt of court (Form 48) (disobedience) to order of court was to be served on him dated 24th Feb, 2O21 but he evaded service twice, and ran to court of Appeal in Port Harcourt and filed an Appeal with Appeal Suit Number CA/PH/115/2021 with the sole aim to delay justice. We must fight for our right!” they proclaimed.
The Forum therefore called on Buhari to heed their humble call to sack the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Engr. Wabote, without delay as they can no longer tolerate him, while assuring the president that his sack will bring peace and economic prosperity to the Niger Delta people.
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