Protest: Itsekiri Youths Occupy Chevron Facility
Hundreds of Itsekiri youths from Ugborodo community , Warri south west local government area have occupied Chevron major facility in the area, demanding that the oil giant should construct a formidable shore protection project for the area to save it from total collapse.
Chairman, Ugborodo Community Management committee, Mr Austin Oboroegbeyi, Mr Alex Eyengho and other sons of the area who led media men round the community lamented the level of neglect, saying that the entire community was facing threat of being washed away by wave from the Excravos sea .
Mr Oboroegbeyi said houses that were about two hundred meters from the sea had been washed away by the high surging water, stressing that his family house was among those affected.
He said if urgent steps were not taken to tackle the problem the entire community would be wiped out of existence in no distant time.. Continuing, he said the shore protection project being constructed by the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC for the area was of poor quality , adding that they had in several letters to the commission drawn its attention to the shoddy job.
He said among other thing challenges in the area, Ugborodo which is the heart of Chevron operation still drink polluted water and does not enjoy regular power supply.
“The community is also demanding that the oil giant should provide it with steady power supply and give the area portable drinking water. How can it be said that we are host to Chevron, we don’t get portable water to drink, no steady electricity. We are totally neglected by the company. “ , he said.
The Chairman of the community management committee also said most indigenes from the community were still in the employ of the company as casual staff , noting that they had been with the company for about fifteen years.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read, “Chevron some of our children have been employed as casuals for 15 years, enough of this casualization “, “our land is eroded daily by the sea “ and so on.
He said they would continue to occupy the place until meaningful efforts were made by the oil giant to resolve the problems.
The protesters had canopies, live DJ on ground blaring music. Food were supplied to them from the community. No staff of Chevron could be seen to talk to Journalists.