Itsekiri Youths Vow To Stop Panocean, Chevron Operations In Escravos

By Loveth Ojogun

Ugborodo Itsekiri youths in Warri South West Local Government Area of Delta State, have vowed to stop the operations of Panocean Oil Corporation Nigeria Limited and Chevron Nigeria Limited, if they fail to address their demands of stable electricity supply, employment, increment in salaries of community workers, construction of well-equipped hospital, portable water supply, among others.

In a statement by National Youth Leader of Ugborodo Community,  Ofe Nene addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari, he drew his (Mr President’s) attention to the deliberate injustice being done to Ugborodo community youths and workers by Chevron and Panocean.

The youths explained that Panocean has been building an export pipeline from Amukpe to Escravos but didn’t employ the community youths and had hooked the pipeline to the export line at Ugborodo with a control platform fully completed and ready for commissioning soon.

The youths noted that there was an agreement between Chevron and Ugborodo Community in 2017 to increase all the community workers’ salaries by two per cent every two years from February 2017 but Chevron refused to honour the agreement since the first two years after the expiration of the agreement in February 2019.

“Before Chevron Escravos Export System Project, EESP, in 2017, there was also a gentleman agreement between Chevron and Ugborodo Community that they will build multi-purpose centres/town halls in all the communities of Ugborodo as well as Ugbegungun community respectively as part of their corporate social responsibility to us but since they started the project, they have refused to honour the gentleman agreement reached till date and are carrying on with total lack of commitment to honour it.”

The youths lamented lack of potable water supply, stable electricity supply, and well-equipped hospital despite being host to several oil wells, platforms and facilities.