Women, Youth Protest Against Oil Firm Over Surveillance Contract

Updated by April ,30, 2018

Women and youth from Urhobo extraction, under the Oil Mining and Lease (OML) 30, Sunday staged a peaceful protest against Salvic Oil Company, over what they termed poor community relations especially as it affects pipeline surveillance contract.

They are calling for the total relocation of Salvic Oil Company out of Urhobo Land, the withdrawal of pipeline contract handed to Mr. Morisson Ibiowan and the full return of OML 30 back to Heritage Oil Limited.

The protesters who barricaded the entrance of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Edjeba, Warri, Delta State, were seen carrying placards with inscriptions such as “No to Salvic, yes to Heritage”, “Salvic must go”, “N62 million/month, now we know better” and others.

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Comrade Festus Igherebuo, President of Urhobo Youth Council (UYC), pointed that they were in a solidarity protest with Heritage Company over the recent protest by a group of youths allegedly led by the said Morrison Ibiowan whereby they allegedly threatened to shut down the company’s flow stations in Urhobo land if it fails to heed the group’s demands.

Igherebuo added that those that carried out the protest were not representing the interest of the Urhobo people.

He said, “We that are here are from various local governments in Urhobo land, Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Udu, Okpe, Sapele, Uvwie, Ethiope East and West including Urhobos in Warri.

GHANA PROPERTY AWARDS NS 2018

“Heritage has met with the demands of our royal fathers, they have met with the demands of our people.

“It is Morrison that we are talking about and Salvic, we don’t want Morrison to terminate the good job that the Urhobo people are doing. We are against his action and we condemn it. The Urhobo people are peace-loving people. We want development in our land. We are here to tell Heritage that we are sorry about what Morrison and his cohorts did.”

Addressing the protesters on behalf of Heritage, its security adviser who does not want his name in print, urged the protesters to remain calm, adding that their concerns would be related to the company’s top management.

However, following insistence by the protesters to speak with the company’s management directly, selected representatives of the group were invited for a closed door meeting with the management of Heritage.

Briefing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting, Comrade Igherebuo, UYC President, said Comrade Clarkson London, Director of Operations, Delta State Security Committee, Hon. Slyver Obarume and others, disclosed that all issues they raised were positively addressed by the company’s management.