Protesters on Monday shut down the NPDC/NECONDE OML 42 JV flow-station in Jones Creek, Delta State, forcing workers to vacate the premises.
The demonstrators, hailing from Egwa, Odidi, Bayan, and Okerenkoko communities in Warri-West, voiced their grievances about the lack of electricity and drinking water since December 2023.
The protesters, predominantly women, carried placards demanding connection to the gas turbine serving the oil facility to provide them with electricity. They chanted solidarity songs and insisted they would remain at the site until their demands were met.
They carried placards with inscriptions such as,”NECONDE/NPDC No light, No Operation. Give us light”,” Okerenkoko Community is tired of darkness. Give us light. NECONDE/NPDC”,”Let there be light in Okerenkoko” and “Enough is enough of darkness”.
Esther Ene, the protest leader, emphasized the community’s frustration with prolonged darkness and threatened further actions if their demands were not addressed within three months.
Ene stated, “It’s light issue that brought us here. As we are here, if darkness is sweet, they should shutdown the flow-station so that we will stay in darkness with them.”
Claiming that the community is the highest oil producer in the Niger Delta, Ene said, “We are not supposed to be in darkness.
“Anybody they will call from above, we are ready to stay with that person. If it’s Tinubu that comes here, we will stay with him here. They should find a way. The highest we are giving them is three months, we should have light day and night. They should fix the turbine for us so that we will have light,” she declared.
Another protester, Akpoaboere HelpMe, highlighted the lack of drinking water and the adverse effects on the Nigeria Maritime University (NMU), where students struggle to charge their phones and study due to the power outage.
HelpMe said, “The situation has affected the Nigeria Maritime University, NMU. Students now go about in search of where to charge their mobile phones. Students can no longer study as many are leaving the town already.
“We are suffering again because there’s no network from telecommunication providers. NPDC/NECONDE OML 42 JV have refused to give us light. Please, give us light within the next three days or we shut you down completely.”
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