A fresh protest has erupted at TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria Flow Station and associated facilities of OML 58, in Ogbogu, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, by the Umu Aye family.
The protest, described as peaceful, was called for owing to the continuous neglect and marginalization of the family of Umuaye, who described themselves as the principal Landowners hosting TotalEnergies’ facilities
The Umu Aye family, in an interaction with journalists during the protest, expressed dismay and frustration that, since 1999, the people have continued to be marginalized, disregarded, and totally sidelined in their community in matters relating to employment, contracts, and stakeholders’ engagement by TotalEnergies.
The protesters, who trooped out in numbers comprising men, Women, and sons and daughters of Umuaye, displaying different placards inscribed with words like “We need graduates and contract staff employment” among others, to describe their legitimate demands which have eluded them for over 27 years of alleged neglect by the multinational company.
Highlighting these demands to journalists during the peaceful protest yesterday, the Umu-Aye family Secretary, Mr. Nwakanma Agi, stated that the community has experienced serious neglect in infrastructural and human capital development, and discrimination in contract awards by TotalEnergies.
Mr. Agi expressed their frustration and displeasure with TotalEnergies on its nonchalance and utmost disregard for attending to their legitimate demands of the community after a series of meetings that were held to find an amicable solution to these demands.
He stressed that the Umu-Aye community has not felt the serious impact of TotalEnergies’ presence as the major landowners that is hosting its facilities, disclosing that despite accommodating more than 60 percent of these facilities on their land, they have not benefited minimally from the goodies.
“The essence of this protest is that since we gave our land to TotalEnergies more than 50 years ago, we have not benefited from what we are supposed to benefit.
“In 1999, we had a resolution, and they employed a few of our indigenes. That was the last time they employed people from the Umu-Aye community. The major contracts are given to outsiders, and what they are given to our people are just menial jobs like grass cutting. The major jobs are given to outsiders.
“If you look at the flow station here, we have more than one thousand workers, and our community people who are working there are not more than 20.
“Every day, companies come into this place to do one job or the other. We don’t have a stake. We have a community relations department here; in that department, and there is no indigene of the Umu-Aye community is working there.”
Agi accused TotalEnergies for grabbing additional expanse of land in their community for its flow station upgrade without proper consultation and compensation, “Apart from the original land that was taken from us, in addition, they recently took another land for the upgrade of their facilities.
“We don’t have any agreement for that land, so it’s as good as grabbing our land. In fact, the people are even saying they want their land back because they are not benefiting from their relationship with Total.”
On the employment and human capacity development, Mr. Agi added: “We are demanding employment. Our children are not employed. For the past 27 years, no employment for Umu-Aye sons and daughters. We want to be part of the major contracts that are going on in our community, in our land.
“We cannot be here, and they bring people from outside to do major jobs. Any job that is above five million, they count the Umu-Aye man out. Meanwhile, we have qualified contractors, we have qualified people, and we have people who can do the jobs.
“Our children are qualified in all the professions and fields. Are you taking civil engineering, are you talking of mechanical engineering, or are you talking of petroleum engineering? We have them. But each time they will do something that looks like an interview, and they will come and tell us that our children are not qualified, that our children did not pass the interview. We don’t want that again.”
“There is PIA here, but the Umu-Aye family is not benefitting from it. And of course, employment is not part of PIA’s responsibility and apart from PIA, contracts are still going on here, so will they use PIA as an excuse to exclude us from contracts?”
Mr. Agi stated that the company’s non-compliance with global environmental pollution procedures in areas of operation is absurd and poses a serious health challenge to the community.
“They (TotalEnergies) have a Flare Pit over here; they are supposed to be paying us, but they are not paying us.
“They emptied their waste in one of our lands over there. That land is completely damaged. Apart from the ones they have taken, even the ones they left for us, they are devastating it.
Also spoke with Journalists at the protest scene is the woman leader from the family, Blacky Moses, who stated that the community is no longer has access to their ancestral land, even as farmers, owing to the devastating nature of the pollution caused by TotalEnergies operations in the community.
“We are here to express displeasure with the way they are using us. For example, we don’t have access to our land occupied by TotalEnergies. We have graduates, but there is no employment for both males and females of this community. Every day the company employs workers, but when we approach them, they say there no vacancy.
“There is no contract for our community people. Our children are just lying about because they have nothing to do. Since 1999, there has been no employment for our people. That same year, our people fought before they could listen to us; by then, I was with my second son,” she said
“Presently, our cassava, cocoyam are not producing because of pollution. They have used the oil to pollute everywhere, and we are suffering from poor sight and other illnesses because of the flare.
They are supposed to do something for us because we are the landlord. The women are suffering; they are supposed to be supporting us with some stipends. The pollution is seriously affecting us, our crops are not producing well, also some of our women have entered early menopause,” she added.
According to Umu Aye Community spokespersons, the family will continue to pursue peaceful means in resolving all underlying issues with TotalEnergies as its host community. However, they warned that this kind gesture should not be taken as a sign of weakness, noting that if pushed beyond their peaceful threshold, the repetition of an ugly incident that happened in 1999 might recur. They took note of the stance of other host communities, where contractors must work through the actual landlords, and wondered why the case of the Umu Aye community should be different.
