Byline: Joy Odor Abuja
In a decisive move to defuse escalating tensions between Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited and the Rumuewhor community in Rivers State, the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation (OSGOF) on Tuesday convened a high-level crisis meeting involving the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC).
The emergency session, held at OSGOF headquarters in Abuja, followed a federal directive triggered by a petition from Rumuewhor community alleging environmental damage, neglect, and intimidation by Sterling Oil, operators of an oilfield in Emohua Local Government Area.
Surveyor-General of the Federation, Abduganiyu Adeyemi Adebomehin, said the meeting underscored President Bola Tinubu’s renewed commitment to peace and accountability between oil firms and their host communities.
“All correspondences and petitions will be compiled and forwarded to our legal unit, which will in turn transmit them to the ONSA for a full investigation,” Adebomehin said. “Ours is a fact-finding mission; once the facts are established, Sterling Oil will be formally invited to respond.”
From the OSGF, Mrs. Ademola Abiola, Assistant Legal Adviser, reminded stakeholders that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) clearly outlines operators’ obligations to host communities.
“Government must ensure that indigenes’ rights are protected. Sterling Oil has yet to show clear compliance with the provisions of the PIA,” she stated.
The Director of Energy Security, ONSA, reinforced the need for comprehensive documentation from all parties before action could be taken.
“We need to know who signed what, how operations started, and what the regulatory oversight has been. The NUPRC must clarify issues around the community development fund,” he said.
Representing the aggrieved community, Ezehow Prophet Azundah accused Sterling Oil of flouting local content laws and using military intimidation to silence dissent.
“The company has been operating for three years, extracting oil and gas without employing our people. Those who got jobs earn less than ₦100,000 monthly. Soldiers are being used to harass our youth whenever we protest,” he alleged.
In a written response to OSGOF, A.O. Chukwueke, Group Managing Director of Sterling Oil, dismissed the allegations as “unfounded and unsupported by evidence,” insisting the company operates in strict compliance with all statutory and regulatory provisions.
The meeting ended with a resolution for ONSA to conduct a full-scale investigation into the claims and ensure lawful engagement between the oil operator and Rumuewhor residents.
Nigeria’s Niger Delta communities have long battled grievances over environmental degradation, inequitable benefit sharing, and human rights abuses linked to oil exploration.
The federal government’s latest intervention signals an attempt to avert another cycle of unrest that could threaten national oil production targets under Tinubu’s 2025 economic agenda.
