Youths in the Olugbobiri community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have threatened to shut down the Tedidaba Flow Station operated by Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) over alleged neglect of the community.
The youths under the aegis of Concern Olugbobiri Youths Movement, who staged a protest in the community, on Monday, said that they have not received anything beneficial from the multinational since it began exploration in the community.
Addressing newsmen during the protest, the community youth leader, Raphael Christopher, said that the community lacked basic amenities including potable drinking water, a functional jetty,and job opportunities for youths.
Christopher said they were giving the multinational till the end of Decemebr to meet the demands of the community or face shutdown of the flow station.
Their demands, they said include annual youth scholarships programme, urgent completion of 2.8 kilometres road abandoned since 1991, installation of gas turbine light, and completion of water project abandoned since 1999.
According to him, “There is a general feeling among our people particularly our youths and the upcoming generation that the youths are deliberately sidelined by the multinational. No Olugbobiri youth has been deemed suitable for a scholarship overseas or employed as management staff since 1971 when they began to exploit crude oil in our community.”
“48 years after, we do not have basic communal infrastructure projects that can enhance the living conditions of our people, all we can boast of is abandoned projects that are defacing the beauty of our community.
“In culmination, the youths of Olugbobiri demands must be fulfilled on or before end of December 2021, by NAOC and failure shall attract pipelines destruction and total shutdown of the Tedidaba Flow Station.”
Recall that a new militant group in the Niger Delta had blown up an oil facility belonging to the NAOC in Ogba/Egbema/Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State over its method of community relations.
