Ogu youths threaten to paralyse Onne port

Ogu Youth Congress has threatened to paralyse operations at Onne Port if Chevron Nigeria Limited proceeds with its plan to move its logistics base out of the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone.

Speaking with journalists in Ogu, Ogu/Bolo council of Rivers State, yesterday, the president of the group, Taripakaye Gbobbo, said the planned relocation of Chevron Logistics would cause economic hardships for the host community who have fully supported the operations of the oil company.

“The operation of Chevron in our community has helped us a lot because our people are employed and earning salaries. But if Chevron leaves, it will bring back hunger to the community and push many people into poverty. So, we are not in support of Chevron’s plan to leave the facility.
“Besides, our community is peaceful. There are no crises or militancy. So, they will not say they are leaving because of insecurity. Chevron should stay,” he said.

He said the youths would write to Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) through the Port Manager, informing them that the youths would not allow Chevron to leave the facility.

While his group is for dialogue and constructive engagement, Gbobbo said, they would not fold their arms and allow economic hardship to be foisted on hapless families as a result of the planned relocation.

He called on the NPA, the Oil and Gas Free Zone and other appropriate institutions to prevail on Chevron to stop the clandestine relocation of the logistics base.

Recall that hundreds of youths under the aegis of the Onne Youth Council staged a peaceful protest at the Chevron Logistics Base to protest the planned relocation last week.

The President of Onne Youth Council, Tobiah Silas Tete, had appealed to Chevron to halt the ongoing relocation to avert unnecessary economic hardship on persons and families in the communities that have hosted your Logistics Base and supported your operations peacefully and harmoniously for many years.
“Many of our youths and women depend on the operations of the Chevron Logistics/Shore Base in Onne for survival and to support their families. Why then do they want to inflict this untold hardship on themselves and their households at this time when jobs are scarce and even unavailable?”

“The importance of the presence of Chevron in our communities over the past three decades cannot be overemphasised. Moving the company’s logistics operation out of the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone at this time will be devastating to our youths and communities as a whole,” Tete said.