Oil producing communities in Oron ethnic nationality on Monday took to the streets of Oron town to protest alleged marginalization by the state government and multinational oil firms operating in the area.
The protesters all dressed in black drawn from the five local government areas of Mbo, Okobo, Udung Uko, Urue Offong-Oruko and Oron walked around the City of Oron, displaying play cards of various inscriptions.
Some of the inscriptions reads “.Oro youths say no to marginalization, So much evil has been done to us, “We are the goose that lay the golden age”
The youths paralyzed all social and economic activities and stopped all vehicular movements for more than three hours.
Banks in the town closed shops in the morning rush hours as customers with cheques were stranded even as other customers were directed to the ATM for the transactions.
No fewer than ten Police security vehicles were deployed by the State Police Command to check possible breakdown of law and order.
Speaking at the occasion, Omen Bassey, Patrick Edeke, Victor Mkpofor, Christian Nyong and Francis Otioro lamented the alleged marginalization of the area by the government and oil firms, despite the fact that the area has is the highest producer of oil.
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The Convener of the protest, Lovestic Eyo, called on the federal and state governments as well as the oil companies to implement the resolutions by the National Assembly and the National Executive Council without further delay as to engender peace and give the communities a sense of belonging.
The statement lamented that the state government has over the years ignored the ‘’tripod arrangement as proposed by our fore father s during the creation of the state, which has led to the absolute marginalization and neglect of Oro people for obvious and unknown reasons’’.
They said the youths are angry and threatened to destroy oil facilities unless there was a dialogue with government and the oil companies within 14 days, adding that failure to ‘’ do this will compel us to mobilize and lead the entire Oro nation for a protest at Aso Rock and National Assembly.
