Scores of unemployed graduates from Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms in the Niger Delta region have continued to lay siege on the Chevron Nigeria Limited, Opuekeba Warri Flow Station in Delta State, calling on the multinational oil and gas firm to fulfill the General Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) it signed with the community.
The protesters under the auspices of Kokodiagbene, Ogbudugbudu, Makaraba, Benikrukru, Okoyitoru and Tsekelewu (KOMBOT) host communities maintained that they would not shift ground until their demands were met by the multinational oil firm.
“In the event of no positive response from Chevron after two weeks, we shall extend the protest to all Chevron operations within our region,” the President of the group, Tare Olaye, told journalists.
Olaye lamented that Chevron had been indefinitely postponing the dispute resolution meeting the oil firm had scheduled with the body in January this year which, according to him, prompted the body’s suspension of its December 6, 2021 protest.
He also accused Chevron of ignoring the body’s seven-day ultimatum given to the multinational oil firm to reschedule a meeting with it which, he said, led to the decision for the protest.
The protesters were specifically accusing Chevron management of allegedly breaching the resolution process it started with the body to resolve the issues of what they tagged the unjustified termination of appointment of one of their members, Comrade Timmy Okirika, insisting that Okirika was sacked for no just cause.
The peaceful protesters, who carried assorted placards, were also demanding from Chevron the employment of 200 Egbema and Gbaramatu graduates to fill the 200 deficit employment slots for the kingdoms.
