Protesting women, youths shut Shell facility in Bayelsa

Women from Koroama community in Gbarain clan,
Yenagoa Local Government, Bayelsa State, on
Tuesday barricaded a facility belonging to the Shell
Petroleum Development Company in a protest that
lasted for over four hours.
Our correspondent learnt that the protest disrupted
oil production in the facility, which forms part of the
Gbarain/Ubie Project.
The demonstrators also interrupted work at the
Independent Power Project in the area.
The affected platform has the capacity to produce
over a million cubic feet gas and 70,000 barrels of
crude oil per day.
It was learnt that the state Commissioner for Energy,
Mr. Francis Ikio, failed in his attempts to prevail on
the traditional ruler of the community, Chief Sabu
Kalaoru, to persuade the protesters to vacate the
road leading to the facilities.
The women in their hundreds were said to have been
joined by youths and traditional heads from the
Obunah, Okolobiri, Polaku and Okotiama clans during
the protest.
The protest, our correspondent learnt, resulted from
the allegations that SPDC failed to honour the
agreements it reached with the community in its
recent Global Memorandum of Understanding.
The protesters also accused the company of
environmental and social negligence.
Travellers, including monitors from the
Environmental Right Action and Friends of the Earth,
were trapped as the protesters remained adamant.
The women displayed placards raeding such as 'Give
us Light or Kill us' and 'Honour our agreement or
leave our oil'.
Woman Leader of the community, Chief Imomotimi
Wariowei, said the area had not benefitted from the
oil firm as it lacks water, health centre and
employment opportunities.
She said, "We were told that the gas Shell is taking
here is the largest natural gas reservoir in West
Africa. The water we drink here is from the Taylor
Creek, coloured water that has all the qualities to
make people sick. Because of Shell's construction of
pipelines within the community environment we
have been suffering from serious waterlog here and,
our old people have been falling anyhow."