July 12, (THEWILL) – Nembe women, who staged a warning protest at Aiteo’s loading facility at Nembe Creek, vowed to fully occupy the facility if the company failed to meet their demands.
The protest was primarily due to the non-recognition of community-recommended surveillance contractors by Aiteo, while awarding the same contracts to people of their choosing.
The women started the protest as early as 6.30 am, displaying placards with inscriptions such as — “No to temporary surveillance. Contracts should be by community recommendation”, “We want compensation for every oil spill now” and” We want relief materials for all the spill. Aiteo operation is hazardous”.
The women went on the protest with several pieces of fishing nets, allegedly destroyed as a result of the oil firm’s operations, to the loading facility to register Aiteo’s disregard for their means of livelihood.
They put leaves on their hats and heads, sang solidarity songs in the Nembe dialect and English.
The women leader, Mrs Inigoni Gamage, who led the protest, said there have been several oil spills in the area in the past without payment of compensation and said their demands include provision of medical and relief materials.
Gamage also said Aiteo should, without delay, pay compensation for the losses the people have incurred since June 17, clean up the environment and provide water and electricity for Nembe Creek community.
Other demands by the women include the engagement of community recommended surveillance contractors, payment of debts owed community recommended contractors and for the company to stop dividing the people.
“We give Aiteo two weeks to meet our demands or we’ll fully occupy this place. They have refused to provide relief materials including medicines for the people.
“Fishing is our traditional occupation, but they are delaying the cleanup of the waters and it is affecting our people”, Gamage stated.
THEWILL gathered that the community believed that Aiteo was dividing the people through the award of surveillance contracts to individuals and groups that were not recommended by the community.
They said some of those the company awarded the surveillance contracts even stoned the roof of the residence of King Edmund Daokoru, the Mingi of Nembe Kingdom.
Aiteo recently cancelled the surveillance contracts and the community said the company re-awarded the contracts to the same people and its refusal to pay community recommended contractors they are owing is in bad faith.
Aiteo has yet to comment on the development.
Amos Okioma is a Correspondent at THEWILL
