The drama around the Train 7 project of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Limited seems not to be abating soon as a landlord family has declared that it would chase its rights over the project to a logical conclusion in order to ensure the project benefits its members maximally.

Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the Jumbo Major House of Bonny Kingdom, Jasper Jumbo stated this in an interview with Kristina Reports on Friday, March 5, 2021, in Port Harcourt.

He said the Jumbo Major House was piqued over the illegal allotment of a portion of its land leased to Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC) by the latter as its stake in the establishment of the NLNG plant in Bonny.

“Unknown to us in Jumbo Major House, without our consent, Shell, surreptitiously, in cohort with the NNPC, took part of that 1,354 acres parcel of land belonging to the Jumbos and Browns; that is the Shell terminal land, and used it to buy shares as part of the Shell shares in the NLNG project.”

“We surveyed the land from wells 1 to Well 9 and told them to come and build a new city around there to replace the Akatikpo fishing port we lost when they annexed that Shell terminal and other demands we made to assert our landlordship rights from trains 1 to 6.”

“Shell, having ceded their rights contrary to section 3 of that 1958 agreement, we went to court in suit number: PHC/2018/2017, we got a judgment against them in favour of Jumbo Major House.”

According to him, the 1958 Bonny Oil Terminal Land Tenancy Agreement had the Jumbo Major House and the Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House, also of Bonny Kingdom, as co-landlords, and the entire Bonny Kingdom as consentor, adding that by that agreement, the co-landlords share 30% each of accruals and perquisites of the leased land, while Bonny Kingdom reserves 40%.

“By the 1958 agreement that brought the IOCs into Bonny, Jumbo Major House and the Buoye Omuso (Brown) House are co-landlords on the 1,354 acres parcel of land that was ceded to Shell (BP) on July 22nd, 1958.”

“The entire Bonny Kingdom, currently represented by His Majesty, the King of Bonny, and the Bonny Chiefs Council, including the Jumbos and the Browns, own 40% percent of whatever perquisites that come from that ceding away of our ancestral land. We own 30% percent, the Browns own 30% percent, and there are court judgements upholding this up to the Supreme Court.”

Jumbo stated that the interest of the Jumbo Major House was not the 40%, wherein it still has a stake as a federating unit of Bonny Kingdom, but the 30% it owns by virtue of the 1958 Bonny Oil Terminal Land Tenancy Agreement.

Jasper Jumbo asserted that based on the consolidated positions of the law on the ownership of the land wherein the Nigeria LNG is currently domiciled, the Jumbo Major House would negotiate its stake in the Train 7 directly with the project owner, Nigeria LNG, its Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor, SCD JV (Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo Joint Venture), and all subcontractors participating in the project.

In his submissions, these negotiations are exclusive of those captured under the 40% stake of Bonny Kingdom, comprising the royal family, George-Pepple House, and the 34 chieftaincy houses, including the co-landlords, Jumbo Major House and Buoye Omuso (Brown) Major House, which according to him were under the purview of the Bonny Kingdom Local Content Compliance Committee (BKLCCC).

Jasper Jumbo dismissed insinuations that the claims being made by the co-landlords of the Shell terminal land were an affront to the authority of the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, stressing that nobody has the right to challenge the leadership of the Bonny monarch, clarifying that the Bonny Kingdom constitution defines the relationship between the various chieftaincy houses and the authority of the Amanyanabo-in-Council.

The Train 7 project, which was expected to commence by March 2020, has embroiled with hiccups as the project owner, Nigeria LNG, and its contractor, SCD JV struggle to sort through controversies arising from its stakeholder engagement drive.