The federal government has pledged to ensure fairness and equity in addressing the controversy surrounding the withdrawal of the operatorship of Atala oilfield.
The minister of petroleum resources oil, Heineken Lokpobiri who gave the assurance in Abuja when the Governor of Bayelsa state Douye Diri visited him, said the decision is to put a final rest to the controversy.
The oil field was formerly owned by the trio of Bayelsa Oil Company Limited , Hardy, and Century Exploration and Production Limited.
In 2003 Halkin Exploration and Production Limited acquired the field from the defunct Department of Petroleum Resources upon the revocation of the license of the previous owners that failed to develop the field.