Mike Oduniyi
19 July 2002
Lagos And Warri — Protesting Ijaw women occupying four oil flowstations operated by ChevronTexaco Oil Company yesterday, demanded the payment of N500 million compensation from the embattled oil company as reparation for what they alleged as years of neglect of their communities.
This was the highlight of a 40-point demand made on the American oil company by the invading Ijaw women before re-opening the flowstations shut down since on Tuesday.
The affected facilities located in the swamp of the Niger Delta, are the Abiteye, Otunana/Makaraba, Otunana, Dibi and Olero Creek flowstations.
The oil company has been losing production of about 100,000 barrels of oil daily.
The protesters also demanded the renaming of two of the facilities, Abiteye and Otunana flowstations, to reflect their Ijaw origin and the construction of two ultra-modern palaces for the Gbaramatu and Egbema Kingdoms.
They also demanded that Chevron should embark on reclamation. electrification, foreshore wall and housing projects in about nine host communities to improve the environmental and living conditions of the people.
"Chevron must demonstrate convincing commitment to redress the issue of environmental degradation, underdevelopment, unemployment and marginalisation that have plagued the host communities in the last three decades," the communities demanded.
Contacted, Chevron spokesman Mr Wole Agunbiade refused to confirm if the company had been served these demands, and said negotiations with the protesters were yet to start.
"We hope to commence negotiations with the Ijaw women very soon,"he said.
The flowstations remained closed yesterday extending the crisis that had rocked Chevron lately, following a 10-day siege on its crude oil tank farm by Itsekiri women.
Hundreds of women massed at the facilities, alongside armed security agents who had been deployed to check possible violence or vandalisation of equipment by the protesters.
More than 200 women were sighted at the Abiteye flowstation alanoe when newsmen visited the area yesterday.
A spokeswoman for the group at the flowstation, Chief Josephine Ogoba said a number of their colleagues have been dispatched to other facilities to prevent Chevron personnel from carrying out any operations.
Chevron had said on Wednesday that it had already evacuated its staff from the facilities before the invasion.
Ogoba said that the host communities had been sidelined in terms of employment, contracts and community development projects over the years, and called on the Chevron management to review its policies towards indigenous people in its areas of operations.
"That is the only way to achieve peace and hitch-free operations in Ijaw Land. Enough of unemployment, enough of poverty, marginalisation and environmental degradation.
"If Chevron wants to continue to operate on our land, our demands must be met," Ogoba said.
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