Women of Elem Kalabari in Degema Local Council of Rivers State have protested the failure of oil companies to engage indigenous vessels owned by the community for crude oil export, describing the situation as a violation of the Local Content Law.

The women staged a peaceful protest at the Cawthorne Channel 2 Jetty recently, drawing attention to what they described as decades of systemic exclusion, environmental degradation and economic injustice in one of Nigeria’s major oil-producing host communities.

Carrying placards bearing inscriptions such as “Local Content Law Violated: Kalabari Demands First Right of Refusal,” “We Carry the Burden, They Take the Benefits,” and “Our Sacrifice, Their Gain,” the protesters said Elem Kalabari has hosted export routes and critical oil infrastructure, including pipelines, flow stations and gas facilities, yet remains neglected.

Leader of the protest, Dr Vivian Elenwo, said the community has served as an export hub for crude oil without commensurate benefits to its indigenes. She explained that the area functions as the primary export corridor for crude oil from OML 18, including production from Cawthorne Channels 1, 2 and 3, Awoba and Krakrama, which are evacuated daily through its waterways to the Atlantic Ocean.

Elenwo said that despite the community’s strategic role, none of the vessels involved in the export operations belongs to Elem Kalabari indigenes or companies based in Rivers State. She also alleged that oil companies operating in the area do not observe customary protocols despite earning millions of dollars daily from activities conducted through Kalabari waters.

“What flows through our rivers enriches others. But when it comes to opportunity, our people are treated as strangers on their own land,” she said.

The protesters also faulted the recent award of the OML 18 pipeline security and surveillance contract by NNPC Eighteen Limited to Manton Engineering Limited, a company they said is neither based in Elem Kalabari nor in Rivers State. They described the decision as a violation of Nigeria’s Local Content Law and the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which they said guarantees host communities the right of first refusal in contracts affecting their territory.

They further questioned what they called a contradiction in the law, noting that while Section 257(2) of the PIA holds host communities responsible for sabotage, the same communities are excluded from securing assets located in their area.

The women also lamented the unemployment situation among youths in the community, saying many graduates sponsored through years of family sacrifice have returned home without jobs while companies continue to operate profitably in the area.

They vowed to sustain the protest until their demands are addressed, warning that failure by government and operating companies to respond could lead to escalated actions, including the shutdown of operations at the flow station.

The Paramount Ruler of Elem Kalabari, Mujahid Asari Dokubo, also criticised the situation, saying indigenes of the community have continued to suffer from companies exploiting their resources, which he described as “oppression and degradation of the highest order.”