Okowa Ends Siege To Chevron Flow Station, Meets With Protesting Community

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has met with indigenes of protesting Kokodiagbene community, Warri South-West LGA of Delta State, who took over Chevron’s Otunana flow station to drive home their grievances.

BIGPEN Online understands that the governor on Thursday asked the state deputy governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro to meet with the protesters to vacate the facility whilst the vex issues are taken up with management of Chevron Nigeria Limited.

It was gathered that Otuaro, who chairs the Delta State Advocacy Committee Against Vandalism of Oil and Gas Facilities at a peace meeting of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) and community leaders of Egbema and Gbaramatu Kingdoms in Governor’s Office Annex,Warri pleaded with the protesters to vacate the facility.

As at time of filing this report, the community, it was learnt has heeded to the plea from Governor Okowa through his deputy, Deacon Otuaro and promised to vacate, forthwith, the Otunana flow station.

The protesters had earlier threatened to occupy the facility till their demands are met.

Speaking at the meeting also attended by Chevron officials, Otuaro said, “I want to  appeal to Kokodiagbene community to please oblige us a re-opening of the flow station. What we now need afterwards is strategic engagement to be able to achieve demands of the oil bearing communities.

“We’ll have to set up a platform for dialogue with all stakeholders in attendance. We’ll have to look into these employment and infrastructure demands one after the other and benchmark each on possibilities and delivery timelines to make headway and all of these will require time and patience”, Otuaro pleaded, adding that he hopes “the first meeting will kick off by May 31st, 2019”. 

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the Deputy Governor said, the platform to be set up would discuss expanded demands presented by communities in Egbema and Gbaramatu Kingdoms.

Chairman of protesting Kokodiagbene community in Gbaramatu Kingdom, Mr Uyadongha Poweide had earlier listed demands of his community to include electricity, pipe-borne water, cottage hospital, foreshore protection, conversion of casual workers to permanent staff, royalty for land acquisition among others.

The community chairman said his people had shut down and occupied the Otunana flow station due to CNL’s adamance to their demands.

Chevron’s representative, Mr Brikin Esimaje, however said the oil company was open to dialogue on the demands of the community.

Following Otuaro’s appeal at the meeting, Jackson Timiyan, who spoke for Kokodiagbene community said: “We are in pains over CNL’s treatment but we have deep respect for the Deputy Governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro who happen to be a son of our Gbaramatu Kingdom.

“For the assurances he has given from Governor Okowa, on dialogue to resolve issues of our demands, we’ll listen to him and immediately vacate the flow station we have been occupying for resumption of operations”.