The Illegitimate Operations Of Sterling Global You should Know

Odili Ogochukwu –

The people of Ndokwa Nation did not cry out for nothing even when their voice is not heard. The delicate protest that lasted for several hours on Saturday December 17, 2022, against SEEPCO was not a camouflage. It aims at telling the world our pains and miseries. The conduct of Sterling Global – an oil firm with its branches in Kwale, Ndokwa West Local Government Area and Okpai, Ndokwa East Local Government Area is devious.

It’s alarming as government at all levels could not bridle, and regulate the dreadful activities of Sterling Global that have thronged the region into torments. One confusing trait is the silence of Ndokwa leaders on SEEPCO’s exploitation and reticence to give attention to the host communities.

Sterling Oil Exploration and Energy Production Company Limited (SEEPCO) has been outwitted the State government and relevant authorities in position of oil activities. Suffice it to let out that the Delta State Ministry of Oil and Gas has failed completely in its areas of responsibilities. The ministry has also failed to carry out proper investigations to ascertain the true position of things in the oil producing communities.

How could it be explained that the state ministry of oil and gas has little or no knowledge of oil activities going on in some communities? Even the matters reported of oil spillage and other matters  were poorly treated. The ministry declines intervention despite series of letters of complaint and protest against SEEPCO’s maladjustment.

It is, henceforth, not unusual to proclaim that oil spillage crowns the regions SEEPCO operates. Sterling Global has about twenty locations with over one hundred Christmas trees. Funnily enough, there is no location without an oil spillage.

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With or without ignorance, Sterling Global has not been fair to the people of Ndokwa Nation and has not kept to its part of agreement. It has the volition to act beyond boundaries because its activities generally in Ndokwaland are not checkmated by the government regulatory agency.

In the same measure, most of their production locations are not recorded and certified by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Some of the locations are marked as stale locations that are not producing; meanwhile they are productive. When you visit the site, there are some Christmas trees labeled non-productive while reverse is the case.

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In addition, within the two months that flood invaded Ndokwa nation, Sterling Global officially wrote a letter to the Federal Government stating that it had shutdown operations while it was fully operating. There are evidences. The company has always been successful at maneuvering. Several cases of spillage have been reported at Okpai-Oluchi and Okpai-Umuaguru. The inspectors who visited the scene presented a different report. What could have transpired? The oil spill is visible, yet, another version of a story was told.

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The operation of Sterling Global is trailed with illegalities and negligence. Its operation is so pathetic, hostile and deadly.  It operates as if there is no government in Nigeria. Will Petroleum Industry Act issue a permit to an Oil Firm to install oil pipelines in between residential  houses and compounds? What is fate of the people in the face of explosion?

Further investigations prove that Sterling Global is engaged in advanced ‘bunkering’. It sometimes extract crude product from leakages and transport it via vehicles. To mention but a few. This company lifts twenty barges per day to record fifteen barges. Ndokwa nation is cheated. Nigeria is cheated and defeated by a company who believes that everyone has a price. Sterling Global explores petroleum resources from locations without Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) approval.

There must be DPR’s approval before any oil operation will commence, as well as rigs to come into the country. Unfortunately, this does not happen in Nigeria. Sometimes, operation commences without the said approval which is an indication that Government is unaware of the oil exploration.

At Okpai, in Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State, Rig3 was brought in and mounted for operation without government’s consent. When DPR investigative team visited the area, sterling Global covered the top point of the Rig3 with a tarpaulin to conceal its identity. Government is not aware of Rig3 let alone commencing operation. This happened sometime ago in Ndokwa East LGA.

In all these, nobody is compensated as a landlord or host community. Chief G.E Ikwuobodo is one of the SEEPCO’s vitims