Youths threaten to cripple operations at Onne Port over Chevron relocation

Youths under the aegis of Ogu Youth Congress, have threatened to paralyse business activities at Onne Port if Chevron Nigeria Limited proceeds with the plans to move its logistics base out of the Onne Oil & Gas Free Zone.

This is coming barely one week after hundreds of Onne Youth Council staged a peaceful protest at the Chevron Logistics Base, to protest the planned relocation of the base.

Taripakaye Gbobbo, the president of Ogu Youth Congress, told journalists on Tuesday in Rivers State that the planned relocation of the Chevron Logistics base from the Onne Oil & Gas Free Zone will lead to severe economic hardship for people in the host community who have supported their operations in the past 30 years.

“The operation of Chevron in our community has helped us a lot because our people are being employed and they earn salaries but if Chevron leaves this facility now, it will bring back hunger to the community and many will go into poverty thereby increasing the level of poverty in our community. So, we are not in support of Chevron leaving this facility,” he said.

He said that the community has been peaceful devoid of any crises or militancy which is why Chevron should reconsider and stay back for us to continue to work together.

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Gbobbo promised to write to the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority through the Port Manager to inform them of the possible shutdown of the Onne Port because the Ogu youths will not allow Chevron to leave.

While the youth favours dialogue and constructive engagement, we will not fold arms and allow economic hardship to be foisted on hapless families as a result of the planned relocation of the Chevron Logistics Base from the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone.

He called on the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Oil & Gas Free Zone, and other appropriate organs of government to prevent the relocation of the logistics base in order not to disrupt peace in the communities.

During last week’s protest, Tobiah Silas Tete, the president of Onne Youth Council also appealed to Chevron management to reconsider the decision to relocate its logistics support base from Onne in order not to throw the community and Rivers State into economic hardship.

He said the Logistics/Shore Base is a major employer of labour in the Onne community, and it provides thousands of direct and indirect jobs to the people in the community.

Chevron, he said, has enjoyed a very warm and cordial relationship with the communities for more than 30 years, which is why we are jointly appealing to them to stop the planned closure of its Logistics/Shore Base at Onne.