Operations at ExxonMobil in Eket, Akwa Ibom State have come to an abrupt halt, as agitating people of Eket Communities took to the streets on Thursday to say enough is enough.
The mass protest, which was staged simultaneously around Mobil facilities namely the Airstrip in Eket, Mobil Terminal in Ibeno and Mobil Housing Estate in Eket saw placard-carrying indigenes of Eket Federal Constituency crying for the full payments of N26.5bn oil spill compensation to the four oil-producing local governments as previously proposed by the oil firm.
The communities lamented that Mobil was insensitive to their plight, as evident by its refusal to pay the compensation for the 2012 oil spill incident that they claim resulted in the discharge of more than 300 barrels of crude oil into the aquatic environment of the four oil producing areas.
Our correspondent in Eket reports that during the protest march, some prominent youth leaders under the aegis of Eket Federal Constituency Vanguard led by Mr Isaiah Abia and Mr William Mkpa all condemned Exxon Mobil for being insensitive to the plight of her host communities.
He said the lack of employment opportunities for the people of the community, the deplorable condition of social infrastructure in the host communities, and other hazards resulting from the exploitation by the oil firm, attest to the poor attitude of the oil giants to its landlords.
He warned that failure of Mobil to address this ugly trend will leave them with no option than to put finality on their operation in their land. They also called for the immediate redeployment of Managing Director of Exxon Mobil, Mr Mark Ward over his persistent snub of all the overtures from the communities.
At the Mobil airstrip in Eket, plantain suckers where planted at the gates while the youth locked the gate with padlock in the full glare of a Police detachment who watched to prevent a degeneration of the crisis.
Addressing the protest at Mobil Terminal, Ibeno Mr Isaiah Abia said there was no going back in calling Mobil to order. He said the protest march came at the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum earlier issued to the authorities of Mobil last week. He also said the people of the areas were totally against the notion that ExxonMobil wanted to use the oil spill compensation fund to execute projects in the communities, maintaining that such a notion was an attestation to the nonchalant attitude of Mobil.
It will be recalled that the Eket communities had urged the multinational oil firm not to dare the community any further, but to fulfil its obligation of paying N26.5bn to make for the damages caused by “the 300 barrels of crude oil spillage of November, 2012” which resulted in mayhem on the economic lives of the coastal communities.
The protesters who chanted with placards and trumpets barricaded the oil company’s either access gates, while a coffin with the inscription “RIP Mark Ward” was kept at the gates of Mobil Terminal in Ibeno, amidst other banners and placards.
Also seen at one of the deserted gates of the Mobil Terminal was a canoe, wrapped with traditional palm leaves and a white fowl, which the Ibeno protesters claimed found itself to the gate of the terminal from the river on its own, and dared authorities of the oil firm to remove the canoe if they had the guts.
They also blamed the oil-producing firm for the abduction of the paramount ruler of Esit Eket, Chief Ubong Peter Assam, and issued it an ultimatum to produce the monarch or risk incurring the wrath of the communities.
At the Mobil Housing Estate in Eket, a youth leader from Eket Godwin Nduaesah said the youths were ready to spend the remaining days of the year at the Mobil facilities until the rights of the communities are met by Mobil.
They said nothing will restrain them from obstructing any normalcy at the operational base of the oil company, adding that should they be ignored, then no option other than a change of gear and more stringent actions will be carried out to show the seriousness of the communities.
Addressing the protesters, an assistant commissioner of Police in the state, Gabriel Ashong advised the youths and women to desist from violent conduct but to give time for dialogue as it was the best tool in conflict resolution.
This massive protest comes after the paramount rulers of the four local governments on 25th September condemned and rejected an overture of N2.6 bn offered by the oil giants, maintaining that it was grossly inadequate for the quantum of loss experienced by the community.
Another communiqué dated 16th October 201 and signed by representatives from the four oil bearing communities namely Isaiah Abia (Esit Eket), William Mkpa (Ibeno), Ime Utin (Onna) and Udo Bassey (Eket) had “condemned in strong terms several lies, insults, abuses and total disregard by Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited of the agreements reached at the intervention meetings held by Gov. Godswill Akpabio on November 23, 2012 and July 26, 2013 on the oil spill saga”.