The chairman of Isoko South Local Government Area, Hon. Warri Ovoke Friday, has recently urged protesters in Irri community to maintain peace and allow Oando company sufficient time to address their demands, as their concerns have been escalated to higher authorities.
Warri gave the directive while addressing protesters at Oil Flow Station in Irri community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, operated by Oando, who took over from Agip Oil Company.
Tensions erupted on Monday as angry residents of the Irri community in the Isoko South Local Government Area staged a large-scale protest at the OANDO Flow Station, effectively halting operations. The community, comprising men, women, and youths, alleged that the oil giant had perpetuated longstanding marginalisation, neglect, and a blatant refusal to honour agreements spanning several years.
Chanting solidarity songs and brandishing placards with bold inscriptions such as “We Need Electricity”, “No Project Since 2017”, “Respect Our Traditional Rulers”, “We Need Indigenous Contractors”, and “OANDO Stop Exploiting Irri”, the protestors effectively blocked access to the facility, thereby crippling business activities in the area.
The peaceful demonstration, which commenced early in the week, conveyed a strong message to OANDO management, demanding urgent intervention and accountability. Protesters lamented the oil firm’s failure to implement provisions of the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) initially signed with NOAC prior to its acquisition by OANDO.
According to the community, OANDO has persistently disregarded calls for dialogue and reneged on promises made under the agreement.
Addressing the protesters, HRM Simon Wajutome Odhomo, the Odiologbo of Irri, stated that the community has been marginalized for an extended period. We have submitted numerous letters and initiated negotiations, yet no progress has been made. They operate on our land, extracting our resources, but provide no benefits in return, not even a courtesy visit to us since they commenced operations.
“We are affording them a two-week window to fulfil our demands. The council chairman and the commander of the 181 Battalion, Lt Col Dabo, are accompanying me on a peace mission. Let us return home and provide them with the opportunity to honour their commitments, ensuring the Oando company meets our collective demands.
“I do not have issues with them, but rather, let us permit them to address my people,” he added.
Earlier, the President General of the Irri community accused the company of hiding under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to justify its inaction.
“The PIA does not prevent OANDO from showing respect to our king or responding to our correspondences. If they continue to ignore us, we will be forced to shut down all oil activities in Irri,” he warned.
