Governor warns landowners not to cash in inheritance

Gulf Governor Chris Haiveta has warned landowners of newly discovered petroleum resource projects in his province not to engage in any form of agreements with unscrupulous individuals or parties in exchange for cash.
He said this after getting reports of cases involving Elk-Antelope, Barikewa and Kimu fields.
Haiveta said that any agreements such as joint ventures, or even soliciting power-of-attorney from landowners for cash advances or future contracts, were all deemed illegal and out of context with the Oil and Gas Act and did not have the support of the Gulf government.
“Any form of agreement they sign now or enter into has no effect and standing, according to the Oil and Gas Act,” he said.
“I want to warn landowners that what they are actually doing is selling off their inheritances and their children’s future.”
Haiveta said the Gulf government’s stand was that all landowner matters including their corporate structure, business development, local participation and content were now being dealt with through the gas agreement negotiations. These would become available to them after the gas agreement and ministerial determinations were signed by Petroleum Minister Dr Fabian Pok.
“Until then, there are no legally-recognised landowners,” Haiveta said.
“At this stage, the Government, in consultation with the operator, will continue informal dialogue with prospective landowners to stay within the radius of the law and forthcoming agreements.”
Haiveta also said landowners will be legally recognised through the ministerial determination after the operator submitted its social mapping and landowner identification report (SMLIR) to the State, which would then authenticate and vet it through the landowner benefits identification (LOBID) process.
The State negotiation team and the provincial negotiation team are scheduled to meet this week to discuss and finalise a common position on the gas agreement for the Elk-Antelope project.