Women from Alesa community in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State on Monday staged a nude protest at the gate of the Port Harcourt Refining Company over the controversial Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and two Chinese firms for the rehabilitation and operation of the refinery.
The protest marked the second week of agitation by host communities over the refinery agreement, with elderly women and youths barricading the facility while accusing the Federal Government and the NNPCL of sidelining host communities in negotiations surrounding the deal.
The demonstration followed last week’s blockade of the refinery by youths from Alesa and Okrika communities, who demanded the reconstitution of the Joint Community Relations Committee and greater involvement in discussions concerning the future of the refinery.
Although details of the agreement between the NNPCL and the Chinese companies for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have yet to be made public, the development has continued to generate tension among host communities demanding inclusion and benefits in any arrangement involving the facilities.
One of the protesters, Chief Mrs Catherine Abbey-Wai, said the community had sacrificed greatly for the refinery over the years without enjoying corresponding benefits.
“The refinery is on our land. There is no more land left for us to farm. Fulani herdsmen also invade our land with cows, and yet there is no support for the people,” she said.
Abbey-Wai lamented the level of unemployment and hardship in the community despite decades of oil and gas operations in the area.
“Our children who graduated from school are jobless. The government wants to hand the refinery over to Chinese firms, yet we are not being carried along. That is why both old and young women are protesting,” she added.
She maintained that all stakeholders in the host communities, including youths, women and traditional leaders, ought to have been consulted before the agreement was signed.
Another protest leader, Elizabeth Bouro, warned that the women would sustain the demonstration until their concerns were addressed.
“We are supposed to benefit from this refinery, but we have not benefited from anything. If the government truly wants to hand over the refinery to Chinese firms, there should have been consultations with the host communities,” she stated.
She added that the women were prepared to continue the protest for as long as necessary if their demands were ignored.
The Port Harcourt Refining Company has remained largely non-functional for decades despite repeated rehabilitation efforts running into billions of dollars.
The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had approved $1.5bn for the rehabilitation of the refinery during his second term in office.
