BENIN CITY – Okomu Oil Palm Plc last year expended over N240 million on host communities to execute development projects, award bursaries and youth skills development programmes.
The Agricultural and Allied Employees Union of Nigeria (AAEUN) made the disclosure at the weekend in its response to Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FOEN) field report against Okomu Oil Palm Company plc.
Edo State Chairman of the Union, Comrade Benson Imasuen also revealed that the union is in possession of myriad copies of letters of appreciations duly signed by leaders of the various communities, thanking Okomu for bringing development to their communities.
“These letters are also available together with photographic evidence on the company’s website and facebook pages, as well as the company’s environmental dashboard”, he stated.
According to him, ERA/FOEN should also understand that at least 50 percent of its members are indigenes of the various communities mentioned in their field report, as well as being employees of the Okomu Oil Palm Company, saying “consequently, we can on behalf of our members unequivocally state that ERA/FOEN’s accusations in all facets of their report are not only mischievous but are also seemingly borne out of black hearted mendacity or a misguided mission to see our union fail, which we will never permit.”
His words: “ERA/FOEN alleged that Okomu Oil Palm Company ignored a purported state Government revocation order, apparently gazetted in November 2015. The revocation notice in question which is in our possession, refers to an area of land incorporating 13,750 hectares under a State Government Certificate of Occupancy and states that this area has been revoked from the Iyayi Group of companies. It is not difficult to conclude, then, that Iyayi Group of companies and Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc are two very different names.
“Furthermore, the total area stated in the revocation notice does net correspond to any area contained within the current C of Os that the Okomu Oil Palm Company has in its possession,” he stated.
On the allegation that 60,000 people across 30 communities risked impact due to deforestation, the union said that ERA/FOEN should show due statistical proof of how they arrived at a figure of more than 60,000 displaced people when independent environmental and social impact assessments showed no such displacement.
Comrade Imasuen pointed out that Okomu Oil Palm Coy plc had fully complied with the rules and regulations as stipulated in Nigerian law and referred to a national newspaper report of 6th March 2016, including radio jingles on a public meeting called by the Federal Ministry of Environment.
