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An open letter to Mr President on Oando Energy Resources Limited’s Forceful EIA at Grangbene Deep “A” Project in Burutu Council Area on March 8, 2026

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18 seconds ago

March 20, 2026

CNG

An open letter to Mr President on Oando Energy Resources Limited’s Forceful EIA at Grangbene Deep “A” Project in Burutu Council Area on March 8, 2026

Your Excellency,

1. We are writing you to formally protest the crisis-prone approach of Oando Energy Resources Limited which on 8 March 2026 forcefully carried out an Environmental Impact Assessment, EIA, at the Grangbene Deep “A” Project in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State. That unfriendly approach points to a deficiency in the company’s community relations management. We also consider it a deliberate affront on the local content policy that prioritises the engagement of qualified indigenous manpower drawn from the communities of operation. In writing this open letter, we are emboldened by your regularly demonstrated capacity to address matters of this nature with the urgency it deserves. Your action in this regard will go a long way to reaffirm the fact that you are a visionary president who is always sensitive and responsive to the plight of Nigerians in terms of policy-formulation and policy-implementation in the various sectors of the Nigerian economy, as embedded in your widely acclaimed Renewed Hope Agenda.

2. We are sad because without the common courtesy of informing the Delta State Government, the Burutu Local Government Chairman and creation of community and stakeholders engagement forum, Oando stormed Oyangbene and Labulouseigha communities to embark on that EIA. Earlier intimations concerning a plan to carry out soil test or EIA were not even given to the Delta State Government and the communities. With a hawk-like surprise visit to the location of the project, they embarked on the EIA without engaging qualified hands from the communities. This is an approach operationally at variance with the EIA carried out by NAOC in the area in 2009/2010 with full involvement of qualified indigenes from the communities. It was a mutually worked out strategy.

3. That the EIA was hurriedly carried out without prior negotiation and engagement of trained indigenous hands in the required fields is totally unacceptable. In this age of awareness it is ridiculous to carry out an EIA without the involvementqualified local personnel. This approach signals strategically programmed trampling on the rights of the people with undue arrogance and assumed air of infallibility.

4. We hereby demand a total cancellation of the EIA taken by Oando on 8 March 2026 and a fresh EIA to be properly carried out. Prior to a fresh EIA, there should be transparent engagement of Stakeholders for proper discussion of the modalities to be used in terms of time, work duration and manpower engagement required from the communities.

5. We demand an explanation from Oando as to what happened to the EIA carried out by NAOC in 2009/2010 which has been the guide for operations in the Grangbene Deep “A’ Project before the divestment of NAOC from the project. Has the existing EIA of NAOC become outdated? How? Is Oando on a fresh upstream operation or a continuation from NAOC’S operation as dictated by the current divestment of the project to Oando? We wish to know if Oando is on a fresh exploration and production drive in Grangbene Deep “A” Project as this would guide community responses in their dealings with them.

6. This questionable EIA by Oando shall be rejected in any forum of public debate created to test its authenticity and acceptability by the grass roots people and government at all levels whenever the report procedurally comes to the public domain. For mutually worked out and OKAYED operations in Grangbene Deep “A” Project, Oando must transparently convene a meeting of stakeholders built around the accredited communities for exhaustive discussion of issues bordering on their proposed operations. Before doing this, there should be public cancellation of the so-called EIA recently carried out.

7. We consider the Oando’s recent EIA operation to be illegal since it was obviously done without proper involvement of the security agencies or the blessings of the relevant military authorities. It is imperative, therefore, that the Oando personnel behind it be investigated and dealt with according to the law.

8. We demand, Mr. President, an immediate end to all forms of illegal operation in Grangbene Deep “A” Project. Oando was wrong by sending officials or operatives to the project site without telling the Delta State Government of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the affected communities. We also demand an end to further operational invasion of Grangbene Deep “A” Project by Oando without prior information of the Delta State Government and the affected communities.

Mr President, your quick intervention shall be deeply appreciated as this would put an end to such unfriendly action by any organisation that may taint the widely applauded high performance image of your government of Renewed Hope Agenda.

By:

Dr. Enewaridideke Ekanpou ( stakeholder from Oyangbene community)

Phone: 08129577966

*Mr Paul Tusemone, Chartered Accountant, (stakeholder from Oyangbene community)

Phone: 07060499252

*Chief Aguede Obosu (Stakeholder from Oyangbene Community)

*Pere Obosu ( stakeholder from Gotamfeyegbene Community)

*Gowon Oruke ( Stakeholder from Tamogbene Community)

Oyibo Sukulu (Stakeholder from Ogorigbene Community)

*Copied*:

*The Delta State Governor

*Burutu Local Government Chairman