20
Jan
Jan
BUA REFINERY PROJECT THREATENED AS COMMUNITY ACCUSES FIRM OF ILLEGAL LAND ENCROACHMENT
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Nicolas Adekeye / 3 months
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- 3 min read
A fresh crisis is brewing at the BUA Refinery and Petrochemicals located in Akwa Ibom state as the Ekid community accused the oil firm of illegally encroaching into their land The community has threatened to shut down the refinery complex, insisting that the Stubbs Creeks Forest, where the project is located, is their territory. The dispute follows a lingering disagreement between the Ekid community and their neighbours, Ibeno, over the ownership of the said land. According to the Ekid people, BUA Refinery and Petrochemicals should have followed the footsteps of Mobil Producing Nigeria, which had its operational base in the area, by meeting with the landowners and paying compensation accordingly before acquiring the land. Udonsak In a document submitted to the Akwa Ibom State Land Use and Allocation Committee, the National President of Ekid People’s Union, Dr Samuel Udonsak, accused BUA of illegal encroachment on their land without following the due process. “ExxonMobil Qua Iboe Terminal is situated in the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve. It was first dereserved, then the land acquired and compensation paid to the Ekid people who are the landowners of the Stubbs Creeks Forest,” Dr Udonsak said. “This is how land can be acquired in the Stubbs Creek Forest, and nobody should be cajoled by greed for lack of knowledge to regard Ibeno as landowners of the Stubbs Creek Forest. That is what BUA ought to have done and must now do. Identify the area of its interest, meet the landowners (Ekid people), and we would be delighted to meet with them,” Dr Udonsak added. The community insisted that BUA must secure a lease from the Ekid people, the landowners, before approaching the government for land titles. “With the secured lease terms from Ekid, the landowners, BUA would then approach the government for land titles as appropriate, anything less than that amounts to criminal encroachment and Ekid people will resist it until eternity,” Dr Udonsak said. The Stubbs Creeks Forest Reserve, also known as Akoiyak Ekid, is a gazette forest reserve in Akwa Ibom state, established in 1930. The reserve has attracted several researchers from within and outside Nigeria, as it is considered a hotspot for biodiversity, especially its floral and faunal resources. In 2021, a public dispute emerged between Eket and Ibeno Local government areas of Akwa Ibom State on the ownership of Stubbs Creek forest reserve. This dispute was intensified following the interest of BUA Group of Companies in the forest. The BUA Refinery and Petrochemicals project, which is being developed by BUA Group, a Nigerian conglomerate, aims to strengthen Nigeria’s refining capacity, reduce the country’s dependence on imported fuels and petrochemicals, and help build a stronger industrial and manufacturing base for Nigeria. Once completed, the refinery will produce high-quality gasoline, diesel, jet fuel, and propylene, all meeting Euro-V specifications. The project is backed by Abdul Samad Rabiu, the founder and chairman of BUA Group, and Axens, a company that provides technologies and equipment for the oil and petrochemical industry. Management has said that the refinery will be completed by the end of 2025. However, the dispute over the ownership of the land is one of the reasons for the slow pace of progress on the refinery project, according to the community.