Mgbuosimini community in Obio/Akpor Local Area of Rivers State has shut down the Port Harcourt office of Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC).
Hundreds of aggrieved men, women and youths of the community, who stormed the main gate of Agip as early as 6:00 am, stopped workers from accessing their workplace.
The residents displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Agip GMD Stop the Negligence of Mgbuosimini’, ‘Agip Employ Our Youths,’ ‘Mr Dennis Mazi, Mrs Rebecca Opubo Must Go,’ Agip Train Our Youths, We are Capable and we are Able.’
The protesters accused NAOC of 60 years’ neglect and demanded N100 billion compensation, urging the company to also revoke a contract awarded to a set of people in their area, noting that the contract was causing unrest in the community.
Some of the stranded workers who spoke on condition of anonymity lamented that the protesting community residents barred them from accessing their offices.
One of them said: “I and other workers came here this morning to see the entrance gate blocked. The community is protesting. We will wait to see if it could be resolved so we can go into the company complex.”
Acting Chairman of Mgbuoshimini Community Development Council, Weli Nyeche, who spoke on behalf of the community, said the firm had been in the community for 60 years, but the community had not benefitted anything.
He said: “That the community hears that Agip Oil Company Ltd has been sold to Oando Plc without carrying the host, Mgbuosimini Community, along knowing that Agip does not have an absolute lease on our ancestral land among many other legal issues. This is unacceptable and we demand justice.
“That Agip should pay N100 billion to Mgbuosimini community in compensation for over 60 years of neglect and several damage caused Mgbuosimini community.
“That Agip should ensure to implement fully the items in our 16-paragraph charter of demands or the community will sustain the peaceful protest until the demands are met.”
