From Douglas Blessing, Port Harcourt
An Italian firm, Dini Saltalamacchia, has threatened to file a suit against Oando Plc if it neglects to address the damage done to its host community, Aggah community in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
In the letter addressed to the management of Oando Plc and signed by Luca Saltalamacchia, dated September 14, it claimed that the damage was done by Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC), but since Oando is acquiring the firm, will also inherit the matter which has been lingering for some years.
In a statement made available to newsmen in Port Harcourt, Saltalamacchia said the fundamental rights of the people of Aggah community have been severely compromised because of the flooding caused by the facilities of NAOC located on their territories.
The firm explained that NAOC has alleged numerous unmet legal, moral, and constitutional obligations toward
the Aggah people and the community as a whole.
In the letter, Saltalamacchia noted that, “we understand that NAOC’s parent company, Eni SPA, has agreed to sell its shares in NAOC in whole or in part to your company, and we wish to ensure that you (Oando) are aware of this significant source of liability before you complete the purchase agreement”.
Due to the abundance of land and the presence of waterways, the people of Aggah have always lived on farming and fishing.
Within the community area is the Mgbede oil field, which is exploited through wells identified with location numbers 1 to 27 respectively. Wells numbered 9, 11, 18 and 20 are operated by NAOC.
