Aggrieved women of Okoroma-Clan (Obama) in Nembe Local Government Area of Bayelsa State on Friday staged a massive protest march to the operational location of oil multinational OandO Plc, over alleged decades of neglect and underdevelopment in their community.
The women, numbering hundreds, expressed anger that despite over 55 years of oil exploration and production activities by the company in the area, the people have continued to live in abject poverty without any meaningful development or human capacity improvement.
Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough!”, “We Have Been Neglected and Suffering!”, and “OandO Must Meet Our Demands!”. They vowed to sustain the protest until the oil company’s management comes down to dialogue with them and address their grievances.
Speaking during the protest, one of the women leaders, Mrs. Blessing Ebi, lamented that successive governments and oil companies have consistently failed the people of Okoroma.
> “For over five decades, OandO has taken away our oil and gas wealth, yet our children have no jobs, our roads are deplorable, and our schools and health centres are in ruins. We have not benefitted from either the Federal, State, or the oil multinationals,” she said.
Another protester, Mrs. Janet Owei, added that the women were prepared to occupy the company’s premises until their demands were met.
> “We came with our cooking pots and mats. We are ready to sleep here if they refuse to see us. We want OandO to remember that we are human beings and deserve better living conditions,” she stated.
Our correspondent observed that the protesting women arrived with kitchen utensils, food items, and sleeping materials, indicating their determination to sustain the demonstration for several days.
As of press time, there was no official response from OandO Plc or government authorities regarding the protest, which has drawn attention to the long-standing issue of neglect and underdevelopment in oil-bearing communities of the Niger Delta.
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