Oil wells: Rivers community petitions Jonathan

The Kalabari community in Rivers State has petitioned the House of Representatives over its oil well dispute with Bayelsa State, accusing President Goodluck Jonathan of allegedly backing his home state.

In the petition, which was sent to the Speaker of the House, Mr. Aminu  Tambuwal, the petitioners claimed that the President planned to transfer the disputed oil wells to Bayelsa State.

The Kalabari Solidarity Forum, which signed the petition, warned that the Niger Delta could witness a major inter-tribal war if urgent steps were not taken to address the issue.

Part of the document, which The PUNCH obtained on Sunday, reads, 'We make bold that our President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, is very acquainted with the facts of this explosive matter,  but allowed it to fester.

'Maybe, because his native Bayelsa State is the beneficiary of this outright wickedness.'

The community urged the Federal Government to expedite action on the inter-state boundary delineation started in 2000.

However, it said it would oppose the implementation of the '12th Edition of the Administrative Map of Nigeria.'

The petitioners added, 'At no time did the boundary between the old Degema qnd the old Brass division become a contentious issue.

'Only under DSP Alamiesaigha as governor and the current president who served as his deputy and who directly supervised the state boundary committee, did this sordid phenomenon become a matter of grave concern?'.

Findings on on Sunday showed that Tambuwal had referred the petition to the House Committee on Public Petitions for investigation.

The committee, which is chaired by a lawmaker from Abia State, Mr. Uzo Abubuike, will schedule the petition for hearing and 'invite relevant stakeholders to state their sides to the case.'

Meanwhile, the House has adopted a motion seeking to investigate  the alleged production of substandard cement in the country.

The House took the decision in response to protests by the Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations, which had alleged last week that a 32.5 grade of cement was in circulation in Nigeria.