The 17 host communities that could be impacted by the brand new oil export terminal arising in Rivers State, the Belema Candy Terminal, have endorsed an Environmental Influence Evaluation (EIA) report unveiled in Port Harcourt on Friday, August 8, 2025.
The communities are all in Kula in Akuku-Toru native council space of Rivers State, some mendacity near the mouth of the river that empties into the Atlantic Ocean.
After the presentation of the Report by Aina Adeogun, a professor, the workforce lead of the consultants, the host neighborhood leaders took turns to endorse the report, whereas additionally asking for varied facilities.
The monarchs, chiefs, and neighborhood leaders that gave help for the EIA embody Kroma Eleki (king and Sara X1V), Stanley Benibo Gold Ekeke (the Amanyanabo of Ibiama/Agudama neighborhood), Anabs Sara-Igbe (a excessive chief), and Ibiosiya Nath-Sukubo (spokesman of Ofoinama kingdom). Others had been ladies leaders and different neighborhood opinion leaders who mentioned the challenge was welcome.
The king, Eleki, mentioned there was must kickstart the challenge as a result of their son, Jackrich Tein jnr, the founding father of Belemaoil, homeowners of Belema Candy Terminal, has thus far suffered a lot in making an attempt to deliver investments and growth to Kula. He nevertheless mentioned request for a street was good however that earlier than that, it could be good to deal with bettering water transportation to Kula by securing the waterways.
Opening the ground of the neighborhood help and requests, Sara-Igbe described the terminal as a Kula challenge deserving the help of the Kula folks. He appealed for well being centres, faculties, water provide, and erosion management.
The opposite monarch, Benibo Gold Ekeke, known as on the Federal Ministry of Setting to expedite motion on the EIA course of so the challenge might kickstart.
Nath-Sukubo, youth chief and spokesman of Offoinama, made it clear that the neighborhood had already endorsed the institution of the terminal. He nevertheless mentioned Kula is in dire want of energy provide, calling on Belemaoil to take the problem of energy provide very critically. “Please use initiatives to compensate the communities as a result of they’ve suffered environmental degradation through the years.”
The neighborhood folks urged the Federal Ministry to kindly approve the EIA Report so work might begin.
Shittu Hussain, who represented the Minister of Setting, in his opening remarks, mentioned he observed that the communities had been already excited and supportive. He additionally mentioned he observed a special air within the challenge sponsor, Belemaoil, as totally different from the air they had been used to when older oil majors had been concerned.
Agbagwa Ikechukwu, a professor and chairman of the EIA Presentation train, mentioned the fears when a neighborhood firm took over the initiatives have been allayed.
The primary report mentioned Robert Kiri is the central processing location of the Terminal which seeks to switch the Nembe Trunk Pipeline delivering crude to Bonny terminal.
Reacting in an interview to the overwhelming endorsement of the 17 communities, Collins Amadi, and engineer and vp of Belemaoil, mentioned it was signal that the corporate had impacted the communities all alongside. “We’ve been interacting with them through the years and so they have come to know our capability. From our price chain, we take them alongside. You possibly can see the mammoth crowd. Each neighborhood we’ve impacted is right here.”
On what subsequent after the EIA classes, he mentioned if it will get authorized, the following step is to start to work the plan. “This implies we discuss with our challenge marketing consultant and inform them to slate the work by making a schedule.
“You possibly can hear once they had been asking many questions resembling logistics and so on. The challenge has not began. When it does, we schedule all these issues. When the primary schedule comes out, all over the place that might be impacted might be concerned. We lay all issues open.”
Additionally talking in an interview, Abel Jumbo, the Company Affairs Supervisor of Belemaoil, mentioned the communities had been properly conscious of the operational strategies of the corporate. He mentioned the communities knew that Belemaoil might be trusted to do what it promised.
