Even as they were conspicuously absent at the Stakeholders Meeting, the international oil and gas companies operating in Bonny Island and relevant federal agencies were called out on the need to prioritize the development of the area.

The Stakeholders Meeting was convened by the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee (BKDC) to engender conversations around the development of Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Curiously, the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG), its contractors, SCD JV (Saipem, Chiyoda and Daewoo Joint Venture), Shell Nigeria, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, BelemaOil, TotalEnergies, amongst others were absent at the meeting where they would have interfaced with representatives of diverse aspects of Bonny society.

In attendance at the meeting were the Chairman, Bonny Chiefs Council; Se-Alabo Dagogo Claude-Wilcox, Chief and Head of Captain Hart House; Se-Alabo Reginald Hart, Chairman, Jumbo Major House; Wari-Alabo Sodienye Jumbo, President, Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly; Furosia Wilcox, Woman Leader of Bonny Kingdom; Helen Jack-Wilson Pepple, Leader, Bonny Youth Federation; Anthony Banigo, among others.  

In a communique issued at the end of the gathering, stakeholders took a swipe at the NLNG, and its contractor, SCD JV for pussyfooting on the agreed projects captured under the corporate social responsibility for the NLNG Train 7 project.

The projects include a 5,000 capacity Mini Stadium and Sports Academy, Bonny Vehicular Terminal (BVT), and expansion of the Shell, Mission and King William Dappa Pepple Road which runs from Shell Gate to Coal Beach, as well as Court Road leading to the King Perekule Palace in Bonny, and construction of the link road connecting the Workers’ Camp and the Simidia junction on Abalamabie Road. 

“The meeting expressed excitement with the proposed expansion of the Bonny Main Road from Shell Gate to Coal Beach with a spur from Amaomu Junction to the Perekule Palace as a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Project to be executed by NLNG, deriving from the on-going Train 7 project.” 

“The Meeting, however, frowned at the delay in the payment of compensation for impacted properties and the commencement of the project after many months of marking these properties for demolition.”

“The Meeting called on NLNG to ensure that adequate compensation is paid to all owners of impacted properties and the project commences quickly, especially now that the Train 7 project has achieved more than 70% completion and the rainy season is already at hand.”

“The Meeting welcomed the construction of the Bonny Vehicular Terminal (BVT) along the Bonny axis of the Bodo-Bonny Road measuring 500 meters by 500 meters, to be executed by NLNG as part of T7 CSR Projects, but condemned the delay in the commencement of work on the site, despite the fact that the Kingdom has provided an unencumbered parcel of land for the project.”

“The Meeting therefore called on NLNG to quickly remove all obstacles to the prompt commencement and timely completion of this project.”

“The meeting welcomed His Majesty’s vision for the construction of a Mini Stadium and Sports Academy (MSS&A) in Bonny as part of the Train 7 CSR project to be jointly executed by NLNG and Saipem/Chiyoda/Daewoo (SCD-JV).”

“However, the Meeting was displeased with the back and forth game between NLNG and SCD-JV, which has delayed the effective takeoff of the project; and therefore called on NLNG and SCD-JV to give accelerated attention to all issues that will see to the prompt commencement of the project so it can be executed alongside the on-going T7 project.”

“The meeting welcomed the proposed road construction to link the workers’ camp and the Simidia junction on Abalamabie road, to be executed by SCD-JV, as their CSR for the T7 Project. The meeting believes that the road is of great economic value to the kingdom and therefore condemns SCD-JV’s backtracking on the project, after signing an MOU to that effect. The meeting, therefore, called on SCD-JV to put all machineries in motion to commence the construction of the road.”

Enquiries by Kristina Reports to the various IOCs, especially, those particularly mentioned in slowing down developmental efforts in Bonny Kingdom were yet to be responded to as at the time of this report. 

Stakeholders at the Meeting commended the Federal Government, NLNG and Julius Berger Nigeria Plc, for the pace of work on the Bodo-Bonny Road project until December 2023 when, to the consternation of Bonny people, JBN pulled out of the project site on account of its demand for variation of the project price.

They called on the trio – Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works, NLNG and JBN – to harmoniously resolve any issue of disagreement to enable the contractor return to site quickly, to complete the remaining 16% of the project. 

Also, the stakeholders frowned at the erratic power supply situation in Bonny Kingdom, calling on the Bonny Utility Company (BUC) to take full responsibility for its roles of providing electricity and portable water to the Kingdom.

They further called on the IOCs, specifically, the NLNG, Shell and Mobil to endeavor to keep to the terms of the MOU signed for the supply of steady electricity and portable water to Bonny Kingdom and ensure that Bonny gets adequate power and water supply as they have in their facilities.

Various stakeholders who spoke at the event praised the visionary posture of the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, CON, DSSRS, JP, Edward I, Perekule XI, noting that he has continued to think up developmental strategies aimed at improving lives of Bonny people and making Bonny Island a destination of choice for residence, tourism and investment.

In his welcome address, Chairman of the BKDC, Amairigha Hart thanked the stakeholders for attending, informing that the meeting was in furtherance of the committee’s mandate to coordinate development efforts in Bonny Kingdom, appealing to all to align with the vision of the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom to transform Bonny Island into a place of peace and pleasure.

In her speech, Chairman of Bonny LGA, Anengi Claude-Wilcox, who was represented by her Vice, Omoni Longjohn, commended the BKDC for its role in streamlining development efforts and converging stakeholders to the strategic vision of the King, assuring that her administration would avail the committee the necessary leverage it needs to deliver on its mandate. 

Speaking with Kristina Reports on the sidelines of the meeting, a representative of Dublin Green House, Dimieari Green gave kudos to the organizers, BKDC for putting together such platform, pointing out that various speakers used the opportunity to express their bottled up concerns, calling for more of stakeholder engagements.

In a chat with Kristina Reports on the sidelines of the Stakeholders Meeting, one of the representatives of Abbey House, Inyesoibim Abbey described the event as “a positive one”, expressing the hope that the outlined projects by BKDC are implemented to make Bonny Island a destination of choice for tourism, recommending that the authorities should make interventions in the area of healthcare, noting that the health facilities need urgent attention.

On his part, the President of the National Union of Bonny Students (NUBS), Isaac Wilcox expressed reservations over the non-accommodation of students in the scheme of things, asserting that it was critical to involve students in planning things that would affect them, calling on the government, traditional institution and companies to provide social safety nets for students, especially, those from not well-to-do families.

Also speaking with Kristina Reports, Secretary of Abbey House, Melvin Dagogo noted that the Stakeholders Meeting underscored the fact that the BKDC was working assiduously to actualize the development template of Bonny Kingdom, urging the Amanyanabo and his Chiefs and all other stakeholders to intervene in the delay highlighted by the BKDC in the implementation of the Train 7 CSR projects.

From Bluejack family, Adaobu Bluejack told Kristina Reports that the strides taken by the BKDC are commendable as they align with the vision of the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom, noting that the task of developing Bonny is a collective one, urging all concerned to join hands with the BKDC to achieve the set objectives of the Kingdom.