The Defective Approach of Oando Energy Resources Ltd to Grangbene Deep “A” Project, By Enewaridideke Ekanpou

Squirrel, the most recognisably arboreal creature, becomes excessively noisy, loquacious, smart and restless in its ‘kekodo kekodo’ movement upon the serpentine branches of trees whenever it spots danger or strange signals in the forest. Squirrel’s easily recognisable ‘kekodo kekodo’ signals are designed to alert either itself or other foresters to a waiting danger in the forest. By the same token I have come today to alert the world to a wrong step in Grangbene Deep “A” Project being initiated in varying degrees by Oando Energy Resources Ltd through teleguided activation.

A swollen scrotum grows overwhelmingly big when it is deliberately hidden just as a sore becomes ulcerous in growth when it is shielded from the eyes of the public. Swollen scrotum and hidden sore are dangerous to society and so they must be kept open to the public for proper public medication through the ‘kekodo kekodo’ alert of that arboreal creature in the forest called squirrel. This is why I am here today to engage Oando on this public platform and get the needed medication buried in anticipated corresponding response from Oando and other relevant authorities at both the federal and state levels of governance’ in Nigeria.

The Grangbene Deep ‘A’ Project located in Oyangbene and Labulouseigha communities in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State was initially in the hands of NAOC right from 2009 but it has now been acquired by Oando Energy Resources Limited through divestment. There are indications that Oando is poised to commence operations in the territory, but shockingly, without being guided by adequate stakeholders engagement, and without being guided by the provisions of the local content policy. This is a faulty approach to commencement of operations in the area which must be quickly addressed before the take-off of any operation in the area.

It is ridiculous and wrong that some alleged staff of Oando suddenly appeared in Oyangbene community in November 2025 without prior stakeholders engagement that they were poised to start work in December 2025 in one designated aspect of their preliminary operations. The community was deliberately ambushed by Oando without due process normally expected in a civilised society. Promptly, the accredited negotiating team of the community wrote to OANDO to call a meeting of accredited stakeholders involving Oyangbene, Labulouseigha, Bilazia and other communities prior to commencement of operations. Up till now the Oando Division Manager of Stakeholders Management and Community Development has not done the needful but rather they are brainwashing the people in the community to accept the urgency of their proposed operations programmed for February 2026 by telling the community to write a counter-letter as a prerequisite for their operational entry into the Grangbene Deep ‘A” Deep Project. This BACKYARD approach cannot be accepted in a community of highly educated people like Oyangbene.

It is very important for the Division Manager of Oando to note that the Oyangbene community has the required manpower in their proposed operation and so a meeting of Stakeholders should be convened for proper discussion of matters related to their proposed operations. In this era of awareness in the Niger Delta it is laughable to ambush a community and stampede them into giving you a MANIPULATED space to operate without discussing issues that affect their welfare in the aspect of indigenous manpower engagement for the project.

The first step of Oando on the Grangbene Deep “A” Project is glaringly a wrong one. It is my thinking that OANDO should be guided by NAOC in their approach to stakeholders engagement in the Grangbene Deep “A” Project because NAOC is an experienced hand in this direction. The experiences of Naoc’s years of engagement of Oyangbene, Labulouseigha and other communities while they were still in charge should be drawn on by Oando in their community engagement in Grangbene Deep “A” Project.

Louder than even the recognised ‘kekodo kekodo’ alert of squirrel in the forest, Oando must be told in clear terms that Oyangbene is a community that has produced qualified persons in virtually all fields of study needed for the operation of OANDO in the area. This demands that Oando should first create the platform for engagement of Stakeholders mandated to represent the community. When this is done, we can unveil to Oando the areas our indigenous people can fully participate in the operations. It would be ridiculous to bring geologists, medical doctors, hydrologists, environment biologists, sociologists, civil engineers and others from Jericho to work in Grangbene Deep “A’ project when we have an endless stream of the required personnel in our community. Even if it is EIA (Environment Impact Assessment) the Oando company wishes to carry out in the area as a preliminary operation, Oyangbene community has the people.

Oando currently off the acceptable line like a derailed train in their approach to community engagement, relevant authorities like the Minister of Petroleum Resources (state), the Minister of Environment and the Managing Director of OANDO should awaken the Division Manager of Stakeholders Management and Community Development of OANDO Energy Resources Limited to the fact that their proposed operations in Grangbene Deep “A’ Project must first be preceded by stakeholders engagement, which was what NAOC always did while they were still in charge of the project.

Even the gods and the fowls of the air know that the Oyangbene community is too educated to be tricked and stampeded into any arrangement that does not see stakeholders engagement as a priority before the commencement of operations in the area. Let OANDO know that teleguided instigation, brainwashing and rabble-rousing to get emphatic ‘GO-HEAD’ from diversionary paths to commence operations that will not involve indigenes in relevant areas they are qualified to participate in will not be accepted in a civilised society guided by law and order.

A letter that sufficiently awakens Oando to the defects in their approach to community engagement had long been sent to them. In addition to the letter already written to OANDO on this matter, this is a passionate public appeal to OANDO to call a meeting of stakeholders in the Grangbene ‘A’ Deep Project first before the commencement of any operation however insignificant the proposed operation may be. The Oyangbene community cannot be systematically instigated, brainwashed and stampeded into the commencement of any operation in the Grangbene Deep ‘A” Project without first creating a forum for stakeholders engagement to discuss issues that border on indigenous engagement of qualified hands in the community.

Dr. Ekanpou writes from Oyangbene, Delta State.