Oil spill compensation saga: Akpabio denies collecting N26.5bn

Gov. Godswill Akpabio

Akwa Ibom government yesterday denied collecting some monies from ExxonMobil meant for the payment of compensation on the recent crude oil spill in four local government areas of the state.

It would be recalled that the National Oil Spill Environmental Agency (NOSRA) had approved about N26.5 billion as compensation for the recent oil spill in the affected communities of Eket, Esit-Eket, Ibeno and Onna local government areas of the state. Instead of paying the money, ExxonMobil was said to have called a meeting between the state government and the stakeholders and decided to pay about N2 billion to the oil spill victims.

The balance of the oil spill compensation money they said would be used to undertake development projects in the state and this sparked protest recently by the youths of the communities. However, at a meeting between the State Government and the Stakeholders from the four oil producing communities in Uyo yesterday, the State Governor Godswill Akpabio denied receiving part of the money for any development project in the state.