The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, say they are engaging with the host community, Bonny Kingdom and other relevant stakeholders with a view to assuring a secure environment for the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project.

Both officials said this today during a meeting with the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly, Bonny Women Forum, and the Bonny Youths Federation (BYF), among other stakeholders on Thursday, February 11, 2021, at the King Perekule Palace, Bonny.

The meeting was presided over by the Chairman, Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Se-Alabo Dagogo Wilcox, and had in attendance the Vice Chairman of the BCC and supervising Chief of the Train 7 project, Se-Alabo Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple, Secretary of the Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly, Fred Pepple, the acting Divisional Police Office, Bonny, innocent Asukeudha, and Youth Leader of Bonny Kingdom, Emmanuel Finecountry, among others.  

The Deputy Senate President, who was represented by his Senior Special Assistant on Community Affairs, Conflict Resolution and Local Content Matters, Christopher Agaga disclosed that, in line with this, the Inspector General of Police has set an IGP Tactical Team for Bonny Kingdom to manage the security coverage of the project in sync with all relevant security agencies in the country.

He stated that the move was predicated on the importance the Federal Government attaches to the Train 7 project due to its huge value addition in terms of job creation and revenue generation.

“The NLNG project is the biggest in Africa it is always the most attractive project in Africa and as the most attractive project in Africa it will attract the good, the bad and the ugly. It will attract people that have good intentions and negative intentions.”

“Based on that and the IGP being the chief internal security officer of the country has set up a tactical team for crisis management to manage security for the project working with the community and all relevant stakeholders. It is important for a strong security architecture is put in place.”

He further informed that the IGP Tactical Team would synchronize inputs from relevant stakeholders to ensure that opportunities available in the project are assured for the host communities, investors and Nigerians, in general.

On his part, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Muhammad Adamu, represented by the Team Lead, IGP Tactical Team for Bonny Kingdom, Usman Magaji, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), said the team was on a familiarization visit to relevant stakeholders to share ideas on how to best secure the environment for the successful implementation of the project.

“We are on a familiarization visit, we cannot just come here without first seeing the owners of the land and other stakeholders of the Kingdom and to inspect the NLNG Train 7.”

Adamu said that give the huge economic potential of the project it has security implications for the host community and the country, stating that this informed the need to engage the gatekeepers of the community and other relevant stakeholders to achieve a consensus on how to assuage any security challenges that may arise before, during and after the project.    

“We know that the NLNG Train 7 project that is situated in Bonny is of immense economic potential for the country and Bonny Kingdom in particular. The security implication for the host community and the nation at large. That is why we are here to rub minds with you.”

In his response, Chairman of the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Se-Alabo Dagogo Wilcox thanked the Deputy Senate President (DSP) and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and his team for the visit, saying that the people of Bonny Kingdom appreciate the respect and honour accorded them, stating that the Train 7 project was one that every indigene and resident of the kingdom looked forward to.

He noted that it was important that security issues, especially, as related to the Train 7 project be mainstreamed for collective benefit of all stakeholders, assuring that Bonny Kingdom, as the host community, under the leadership of His Majesty, King Edward Asimini William Dappa Pepple III, Con, Perekule XI would accord the IGP Tactical Team the needed support to ensure it succeeds in its assignment.

The retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Nigerian Army and former Nigerian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with concurrent accreditation to the Republics of Rwanda and Burundi, respectively, pointed out that there were gaps in the security architecture of the area, urging the Federal Government to provide adequate funding for the security agencies in the area.

Also speaking, Vice Chairman of the Bonny Chiefs Council (BCC), Se-Alabo Hanniel Jack-Wilson Pepple stated that the Federal Government should compensate the peaceful disposition of the people of Bonny Kingdom that has ensured it has continued to accrue revenue from its investments in Bonny Island over the years.   

“The Federal Government owes us a duty to protect our lives and properties. They owe us. It has never happened in Bonny that there was a shutdown of the operations that they could not lift crude oil or transport gas like has been happening in other communities across the Niger Delta. They need to compensate us for being peaceful.”

Secretary of the Bonny Kingdom Titled Citizens Assembly (TCA), Fred Pepple, acting Secretary of the Bonny Women Forum (BWF), Bernice Tolofari, Leader of the Bonny Youth Federation (BYF), Emmanuel Finecountry, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Kristina Reports, Godswill Jumbo, in their various submissions called on the Federal Government to do more to protect Bonny as the host community to its trillion Naira investments in the area.

They informed the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, and the IGP Muhammad Adamu of the plight of five indigenes of the area that were kidnapped from Banigo Community since September 12, 2020, and another two young men who were brutally murdered along the waterways at Dema-Abbey Community, on January 5, 2021, both incidents by sea pirates.

All the speakers appealed to the federal authorities to intervene to improve security in the area by providing adequate funding for the security agencies, scaling up their capacity in terms of weaponry and infrastructure, getting the buy-in of the multinationals to support security, and incentivizing serving in the area, among others.  

The IGP Tactical Team for Bonny Kingdom, which had already had already met with the Amanyanabo and Natural Ruler of Bonny Kingdom, His Majesty, King Edward Pepple III, working in sync with the Deputy Senate President is expected to continue with its consultations with other stakeholders in its quest to fashion out a holistic security plan for the Nigeria LNG Train 7 project.