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Women Take Over OML 42 Facility, Shut Down Flowstation In Delta Over Lack Of Electricity
…Demand turbine from oil firms to end darkness
…Okerenkoko community cries out to President Tinubu to prevail on oil firms
Hundreds of Ijaw women from Okenrenkoko community in Delta State, have shut down the OML 42 oil facility operated by NPDC/NECONDE and NNPCL/AMARANTA Joint Ventures, protesting the lack of electricity in the area despite having over 75 oil wells and several flow stations.
BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.com) reports that the women, carrying placards with inscriptions like “NECONDE/NPDC No light, No Operation. Give us light”, seized the facility at the wee hours of the day and chased away oil workers from the facility.
The protesters said that students of the Nigeria Maritime University, lecturers, and the entire community have suffered lack of electricity for over a year since the community-funded generator plant packed up beyond repair.
The community demanded the oil company to connect them to a gas turbine serving their yards since they are not connected to the national grid, threatening to shut down more flow stations if their demands are not met within three months.
Addressing newsmen during the protest, Madam Esther Ene, said the protesters will remain at the flow-station until their demands are heeded to by the oil firms.
“It’s light issue that brought us here. As we are here, if darkness is sweet, let them shut down everything here so we all can be in darkness,” said Ene who said she’s also an Evangelist.
Claiming that the community is the highest oil producer in the Niger Delta, Ene queried, “Are we supposed to be under darkness? Our people who even work here have not been paid for twenty months now. Our main aim of coming here is light.”
Containing, she said, “Anybody they will call from above, we are ready to stay with that person. If it’s Tinubu that comes here, we will stay with him here. They should find a way. The highest we are giving them is three months, we should have light day and night. They should fix the turbine for us so that we will have light.”
She said if the company fails to heed to their demand, they will shut down more of its flow-stations in the area.
“We’re suffering. We don’t have drinking water. Only if rain falls before we can get water to drink,” said Mama Akpoaboere HelpMe, a protester.
Mama Akpoaboere said that the situation has affected the Nigeria Maritime University, NMU. “Students now go about in search of where to charge their mobile phones. Students can no longer study as many are leaving the town already.
“We are suffering again because there’s no network from telecommunication providers. NPDC/NECONDE OML 42 JV have refused to give us light. Please, give us light within the next three days or we shut you down completely.”
Specifically, the protesters who threatened to shut down Odidi flowstation, another major oil facility in three days if their demands are not met, had already arranged to deploy kitchen utensils and food items to the yard until they get a response from the officials of the oil firm.
Another protester, Florence Edwards, vowed, “We’re not leaving here until they answer us. If the light didn’t come, we will not leave here.”
While calling on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) which also has a joint venture in the area, the community accused the oil firms of refusing to provide electricity despite several correspondence, with Ebimo Okoro saying, “No single light for Maritime University Okenrenkoko, it is so sad that we produce the highest oil and gas quota yet have nothing to show for it.”
“No turbine for Okerenkoko despite all that the federal government is taking from us. We can’t count the number of years this flow station have been operating here. We can’t be in water and be complaining that soap have entered our eyes. We’re fighting for our right and that’s why we’re here to demand that the oil companies build a turbine for us”, another protester, Mrs Stella Sibi said.
All effects to speak with officials of either NNPCL/Amaranta or NPDC/NECONDE Joint Ventures sighted at the yard before they vacate the premises, proved abortive as one of them said they are not authorised to talk to journalists.
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