The National Chairman of the Urhobo Oil and Gas Nationality (UROAGAN), Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini, has opposed the Federal Government’s plan to establish five mini Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) plants in Kogi State using gas sourced from Urhobo land without hosting any of the plants in Urhobo.
In a press statement obtained by our reporter on Saturday, Chief Ominimini called on President Bola Tinubu, the Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Chief Executive of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to halt the implementation of the project, labelling it as oppressive and unjust to the Urhobo people.
“The Urhobo ethnic nationality has the highest reserves of gas and crude oil in Nigeria but has nothing to show for it.
“Our graduates are left roaming the streets, some riding okadas, while top northern elites secure employment in the oil and gas sector,” he lamented.
Ominimini further highlighted the severe environmental impact of oil exploitation in Urhobo land, comparing it to the devastation in Ogoniland.
He decried the lack of environmental remediation or clean-up efforts and criticised the gas flare penalties paid by international oil companies (IOCs), which he claimed brought no benefits to the Urhobo people despite the associated health risks.
“This is another evil against the Urhobo Nation. We can no longer farm or fish because our environment has been destroyed,” he stated.
Arguing that proximity to raw materials is a key factor in industrial establishments, Chief Ominimini insisted that at least one of the mini LNG plants should be sited in Urhobo land.
He pointed out that the region also has access to the sea via the Sapele and Warri seaports, which could facilitate LNG export.
The UROAGAN leader also recalled that in 2024, the organisation had proposed the establishment of LNG plants in Ughelli North and Ethiope West, but the Federal Government and NNPCL failed to respond.
Declaring that Urhobo would no longer tolerate marginalisation, Ominimini warned that his people would resist the exclusion through legal and spiritual means if the government did not reconsider.
“We have been taken for granted for too long. Those with solid minerals like gold, lithium, and tin are allowed to control them, but Urhobo oil and gas are being siphoned for the entire country’s benefit.
“We will act fast if the Federal Government refuses to include us in this LNG project. Enough is enough,” he asserted.
With vast gas deposits in Ughelli, Kokori, Orogun, Agbarha-Otor, Evwreni, Otujeremi, Udu, Jesse, Oghara, and Mosogar, Chief Ominimini insisted that Urhobo must not be sidelined.
He urged the Federal Government to reconsider its plans and ensure fairness in the allocation of LNG projects.
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