From Omavuaye Favour, IT Student
Communities of cluster 1, in Oil Mining Lease OML 30, have threatened to shutdown oil installation in Afiesere community flow station over failures of the oil firm operating in the area to honour the GMoU agreement.
In a peaceful protest, women of the nine communities of the cluster have issued an ultimatum to Heritage Energy Oil Service Limited HEOSL, to honour the GMoU agreement or stop drilling the oil in their land.
Displaying leaf branches with songs like, We no go gree o we no go gree, ‘Heritage must go, we need our money, the women vow to disrupt oil exploration if their demands are not meet by the oil company.
Addressing newsmen, the President General of Afiesere community, Richard Ovwreghengherohwo Aduvie, said, “The communities demands are very important in regard to the agreement entered but the company on their part has failed to keep the Memorandum of Understanding GMOU.
“The nine communities of cluster One in OML 30, Afiesere, Emerhagha,Odovie,Ogbonwan, Otovwodo, Ekrejebor, Ofuoma, Orhoakpor and Ohwarho have been short changed, salaries of worker is been slashed by 300 percent while those who have been promoted receive same salaries of their old position which is not commensurate to their new positions.
According to Aduvie, “The company, HEOSL has been oppressing us for nearly a year now because an individual wrote a letter to them and they complied with the letter and it stop dealing with the communities.
“The company said they have nothing to do with the cluster which comprises the 9 communities and we have been tackling the issues the company all to no avail.
Since the company cannot deal with nine communities of the cluster, we are giving them two days ultimatum to dialogue with the cluster or they will count teeth with their tongue.”
Also, the women leader of the nine communities of the the cluster, Mrs. Itobore Felicia held that if the oil company will not heed to our call, we shall have no option than to shut down the facilities.
“Oil cannot be going out of our land and we have nothing to show for it and if the oil company disregard this peaceful protest, we shall come here naked”. Itobore threatened.