By Tina Amanda
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has ordered Total Energies not to recognize any member of the Board of Trustees of Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust Fund for the OML 58 Oilfield operating area.
The Court presided over by Justice Stephen Dalyop-Pam, in his judgment also restrained Isaac Uchendu, Hopeson Dike, and six others from presenting themselves, organizing, attending, participating, or taking part in an inauguration as members of the Board of Trustees of Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust for the OML 58 Oilfield belonging to Total Energies.
Justice Dalyop-Pam who sighted a session of the law that permits the community to make contributions in the selection of the Petroleum Industrial Act ordered the Cooperate Affairs Commission and Total Energies to deregister the Defendants as members of the Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust Fund.
The Judge however set aside a consent judgment obtained by the Defendants sometime in 2022 which gave them the power to constitute themselves as members of the board, describing it as non and void.
In an interview with our Correspondent, Counsel to the Plaintiffs, Reuben Wanogwo, said the judgment has given his clients a voice to decide who should represent them as members of Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust Fund in the PIA.
“The judgment has simply upheld the case of the plaintiffs and has set aside the consent judgment that the Defendants obtained in suit number FHC/PHC/S/189/2022 on the basis of which they appointed themselves as members of Board of Trustees of Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust.
“It is one huge victory for the plaintiff because all the wrong steps that were taken by the Defendants in appointing and nominating themselves as members Board of Trustees of Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust have been set aside. Total, CAC, NUPRC, and other organizations have been ordered not to recognize them.
“My client can now have a say as Host communities to select the people that would represent them on the Board of Trustees of the Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust fund. Rather than the imposition and very fraudulent arrangement that was earlier made”.
Counsel to the Defendants, Precious Dike, expressed disappointment over the judgment which he said was expected but disclosed their readiness to appeal the matter up to the Supreme Court.
“For me it is natural, the history of the matter is quite worrisome that the judgment was given today irrespective of the pending applications the court needed to resolve. Like today there was a pending motion for joinder and we thought the court should have given time to parties to respond appropriately but that was not done.
“We have been saying over time that the CAC has already registered the Obagi Oilfields Host Communities Development Trust fund and the court is saying cease the registration so to what extent does that judgment go?
“It is a judgment of the court of first instance, we are already filing our notice of appeal and motion to stay the execution of the judgment. We are optimistic that our clients will remain in office, it is like drawing an analogy like the election tribunal where a Governor is sacked from office by the tribunal and the Governor would have to remain in office until the appeal process is completed.
“For me, there is nothing to worry about, It is not time to jubilate yet because I can assure you that we have the mandate of our clients to take this matter up to the highest level even up to the supreme court”.
Indigenes of sixteen Communities in Egi Kingdom in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State had in the month of September 2023 staged a protest against Total Energies in their head office in Port Harcourt over alleged disobedient to court orders.
