Relocation of oil firm to Lagos sparks protest by Rivers community

A handful of youths from Onne, Rivers State, protested against an alleged move by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company to relocate to Lagos from Onne Port.

The youths, who spoke under the auspices of Onne Youth Council, said the planned relocation of the company would further worsen the unemployment situation in the Niger Delta region.

The protesters marched to SNEPCo Supply Base inside the Oil and Gas Free Zone during the peace demonstration in the area and carried placards with various inscriptions to drive home their demand.

Some of the inscriptions on the protesters’ placards read, ‘We are peace-loving people. SNEPCo, please, don’t leave’, ‘Onne is safe, NPA, prevail on SNEPCo not to leave Onne Port’, ‘OGFZA, intervene in the planned relocation of SNEPCo and ‘Onne Youth Council is appealing to SNEPCo not to relocate from Onne Port to already congested Lagos’.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the protest, the President of Onne Youth Council, Mr Philip Tenwa, said the action of the firm would lead to a loss of over 5,000 direct and indirect jobs.

Tenwa urged SNEPCo to rescind its decision to relocate to Lagos port and appealed to relevant authorities to intervene in the matter, recalling that no fewer than 15,000 people had lost their jobs within the past three years in Onne Port and OGFZ as a result of the economic downturn.

He said, “Indeed, SNEPCo last week surreptitiously directed that all its property and equipment, including turbines and miscellaneous equipment spares, be loaded into containers and moved out of the Onne Port, where it had operated for more than 20 years, to another port in Lagos.

“This move by SNEPCo has serious and far-reaching implications for the Onne community and indeed the entire Rivers State. This is because SNEPCo, which is the operator of the Bonga field, at present, supports more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs at its Supply Base in Onne.

“In more than two decades, we never had cause to disturb or disrupt the activities of SNEPCo or any other company operating in our communities.”