AGGRIEVED indigenes of Ogidigben, Ajudaibo and Mandagho, Itsekiri riverine communities in Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, protesting alleged abandonment by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, have shut operations at the Shell Flow Station in Ogidigben.
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*As Izon Ebe Equipment Association issues 21-day ultimatum to SPDC
By Emma Amaize, Egufe Yafugborhi & Perez Brisibe
WARRI—AGGRIEVED indigenes of Ogidigben, Ajudaibo and Mandagho, Itsekiri riverine communities in Warri South West Local Government Area, Delta State, protesting alleged abandonment by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, have shut operations at the Shell Flow Station in Ogidigben.
The protesters, made up of youths and women from the three communities, have laid siege to the station since Tuesday last week, vowing to continue their protest till the company addressed their demands.
Speaking to Vanguard, the Public Relations Officer, Ajudaibo community, Christian Akpipeyi, said the protest was mainly anchored on the non-availability of electricity and potable water in the affected communities.
“We have been here for the past seven days and no official from SPDC has briefed us. We will be here for as long as it takes till they come to the negotiation table with us,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Izon Ibe Equipment Owners Association has issued a 21-day ultimatum to SPDC to reverse alleged clandestine sale of the company’s land in Ogunu and Edjeba, Warri, without notifying indigenous contractors of Urhobo and Ijaw extraction.
The group, in a statement by its president, Chief Afro Biukeme, threatening court action if the purported sale was not reversed, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,
EFCC, and other relevant security agencies to intervene in the alleged contract scam by some personnel of SPDC.
It said: “The SPDC personnel are interested in using their private companies to do most of the jobs given to indigenous contractors. After signing for contract that might span up to 10 years, for the past two years up till now, the relevant contract documents are yet to be given to contractors.”
The group also kicked against horizontal drilling by SPDC from Warri to Port Harcourt, describing it as unacceptable.
“SPDC should come to Warri if they are interested in drilling oil in Warri. They should stop the old tactics of divide and rule,” they said.
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