News
SNEPCO’s Planned Exit Threatens 6,000 Jobs …Rivers Youth Protest Against Relocation
Well over 6,000 jobs may be on the line as Shell Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo) begins phased relocation of its logistics operations base in the Oil and Gas Free Zone, Onne, Eleme Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers State to Lagos State.
The Tide gathered that SNEPCo has already concluded plans to relocate its logistics operations base to Ladol Base in the Lekki area of Lagos.
Addressing newsmen, yesterday, during a peaceful demonstration at the SNEPCo’s Gate in Onne Port to appeal to the company to rescind its decision to relocate its supply base from the free zone to the Lagos Port, President of Onne Youth Council, Comrade Philip John Tenwa said that if SNEPCo makes good their decision, it would adversely affect the youth, adding that the relocation would add additional 6,000 jobless people to the more than 10,000 already displaced directly or indirectly by the gradual relocation of companies from Onne Port in last five years.
He pleaded that the company should consider the unemployment rate in the state, as its decision would worsen the crime rate in the area in particular and the entire state in general.
Tenwa, who led more than 1,000 youth on the protest, stated that the Onne people have coexisted peacefully with SNEPCo since it moved its logistics base to Onne over 20 years ago, but wondered why the company would choose to exit Onne to Lagos port that was already congested.
He regretted that Onne Port, which has enough space for more companies, was lying fallow and in need of more investors, and appealed to the management of SNEPCo to rescind its decision.
According to him, “We have more opportunities here and more space that can accommodate more companies; we have always worked with the security agencies in order to ensure there is peace and order in the area. We are also willing to work and partner with more investors to invest in the area and create more jobs for the teeming Rivers youth.
“If SNEPCo fully implements the relocation plan, a lot of businesses will close down, including contractors and subcontractors, food vendors, artisans and sundry service providers that all contribute to boost the economy of the area and the state.
“We have written to the management of SNEPCo to seek dialogue over the situation, but the meeting has not taken place yet,” Tenwa added.
Some of the placards read: ‘Onne is safe, NPA, please prevail on SNEPCo not to leave Onne Port’, ‘We have been cooperating with all port users, SNEPCo why leaving?’, ‘Save Onne Port, President Muhammadu Buhari, it’s been under-utilized’, ‘SNEPCo, don’t leave Onne Port”, ‘Onne is safe, Eleme is safe, Rivers State is safe, SNEPCo why relocating?’, among others.
He said, “We are here today on behalf of our numerous members and indeed the entire Onne Community to draw the attention of the Nigerian government and indeed the world to the plan by Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) to relocate its Supply Base from the Onne Port to Lagos. Indeed, SNEPCo last week surreptitiously directed that all its property and equipment including turbines, engine spares and miscellaneous equipment spares be loaded into containers and moved out of the Onne Port, where it had operated for more than 20 years, to another port in Lagos.
“This move by SNEPCo has serious and far-reaching implications for the Onne community and indeed the entire Rivers State. This is because SNEPCo, which is the operator of the Bonga field, at present, supports more than 5,000 direct and indirect jobs at its Supply Base in Onne. There are also several small businesses and contractors whose businesses and fortunes are tied to SNEPCo,” he said.
Tenwa also said that the relocation of SNEPCo’s supply base out of the Onne Free Zone also negatively affect the economy of Rivers State and the larger Niger Delta region.
“It will also put the means of livelihood of many families and the future of our children at risk as well as further swell the burgeoning unemployment market in the Niger Delta region.
“SNEPCo suppliers and vendors are based in the communities around Onne and in the larger Niger Delta region. The suppliers and vendors deliver various items and supplies to the SNEPCo Supply Base in Onne. The planned relocation of the Supply Base to Lagos will directly affect not just the company’s staff but also these suppliers and vendors. It is also bound to affect the community staff working for SNEPCo,” the Onne Youths Council President said.
He said while the Federal Government and State Governments in the South-South have worked hard to ensure peace in the Niger Delta region, the relocation of the SNEPCo to Lagos has the potential of jeopardizing the peace currently being enjoyed in the region.
“The times are hard because in the past three years, no fewer than 15,000 people have lost their jobs at the Onne Port and the Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone as a result of the economic downturn in the country. We think SNEPCo should not compound this situation with the relocation of their Supply Base to Lagos. This is more so as the Federal Government is working hard to ensure that oil companies domicile their offices and operations in the Niger Delta region where they make their fortune,” Tenwa further stated.
He appealed to the Federal Government, Rivers State Government and other relevant authorities to intervene in order to dissuade the management of SNEPCo from leaving Onne Port.
The protesting youth later moved from the SNEPCo Supply Base to the Palace of the Paramount Ruler of Onne Community, King John Dennis Osaronu, where they informed the king of their action.
In his reaction, Paramount Ruler of Onne Kingdom, King John Dennis Osaronu restated the Onne Council of Chiefs’ total support to the peaceful protest by the youth, saying that there was no good reason for SNEPCo to leave the Onne Port to Lagos.
The monarch said the people have been peaceful and cooperative with all companies operating in Onne Port, adding while Lagos ports were already congested and overstretched, Onne Port was free and under-utilized.
Osaronu urged the Federal Government to swing into action to ensure that SNEPCo remains to develop the people of the area, stating that: “I want the Federal Government to know that the Onne Council of Chiefs is behind this peaceful protest. They should listen to us because they have been asking us for peaceful co-existence, and we have given them peaceful environment to operate all these while. Why the relocation to Lagos? We have always supported SNEPCo and other companies in their quest to deliver and develop our place.”
He appealed to the Rivers State Government to intervene as the move was “unjust and not supportable”, and appealed “to the Federal Government and other relevant authorities to prevail on whoever is making the order to withdraw it in order for SNEPCo to remain in Onne and help develop my people”.
“We appeal to President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nyesom Wike and other well-meaning Nigerians to stop this move by SNEPCo,” he said.
In a reaction to the Onne youth protest, spokesperson for Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) said, “Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) has no intention of shutting down the Logistics Supply Base in Onne, Port Harcourt. The base will continue to be utilised by The Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited (SPDC), operator of the SPDC Joint Venture for SPDC Joint Venture operations.
“SNEPCO’s operations are in the Bonga field 120 kilometers off Nigerian coast in the Gulf of Guinea and our operations staff and contractors work offshore in Bonga.”
Susan Serekara-Nwikhana
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has called on Nigerians to reject silence in the face of extrajudicial killings and other abuses of human rights.
Soyinka stressed that accountability and civic courage remain essential to rebuilding public confidence in the nation’s institutions.
He made the call during the 28th Wole Soyinka Lecture held in Port Harcourt, last Friday as part of activities marking his 92nd birthday.
The lecture, themed “Reclaiming the Nigerian State through Accountability, Justice and Civic Courage,” drew participants from different sectors of society.
The renowned playwright and human rights advocate said the country’s greatest tragedy was not only the unlawful killings carried out by state and non-state actors, but also the silence that often follows such incidents, allowing perpetrators to evade justice.
According to him, indifference by citizens to abuses of power and violations of fundamental human rights has contributed to the persistence of extrajudicial killings and other forms of injustice across the country.
Soyinka said he dedicated this year’s lecture to victims of unlawful killings, noting that the event was intended to honour individuals who had lost their lives as a result of failures within the justice system and society’s inability to protect the sanctity of human life.
He stressed that the lecture was dedicated to what he described as the basic unit of every society – the human being, and urged Nigerians to place greater value on human dignity irrespective of ethnicity, religion or social status.
The Nobel Laureate recalled several incidents of violence, including the fatal shooting and killing of a young man in Ugheli in Delta State by a police officer, and the mob killing of Deborah Yakubu in Sokoto State sometime ago, lamenting that many of those responsible are yet to face justice.
He expressed concern that some perpetrators of violent crimes had openly admitted their actions without fear of prosecution, describing such situations as evidence of serious failures within the nation’s justice system.
Soyinka maintained that when justice is delayed or denied, public confidence in state institutions continues to erode, thereby encouraging further violations of human rights.
Responding to critics who accuse him of promoting religious or ethnic divisions whenever he spoke on such issues, Soyinka dismissed the allegations and pointed out that his advocacy has always centred on the protection of human life and the rule of law.
He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue demanding justice in cases of alleged extrajudicial killings, including the recent shooting of a young man by a police officer, stressing that every life deserves equal protection under the law.
The literary icon also recalled an earlier pledge by a past incoming president to make public the files relating to unresolved assassinations and extrajudicial killings, questioning the status of the promised investigations.
He challenged citizens to continue asking questions about unresolved cases, insisting that justice, accountability and respect for human dignity are indispensable to building a peaceful, democratic and inclusive Nigerian society.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has clarified that there was no fire at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, contrary to its earlier advisory.
Earlier yesterday, FAAN had announced that a fire incident had occurred at Terminal 2 of the nation’s busiest airport, and assured that its Aerodrome Rescue and Firefighting Service had been deployed to contain the situation.
There were also reports that activities were briefly disrupted at the airport yesterday after smoke was seen inside parts of the terminal.
Videos circulating online showed passengers kept standing outside the terminal while firefighters responded to the incident.
However, in an update issued less than two hours later by the Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, Henry Agbebire, and posted on FAAN’s official X handle, the authority said preliminary findings showed that the smoke seen at the terminal was caused by the discharge of the facility’s FM-200 fire suppression system.
“Further to our earlier advisory regarding the incident at Terminal 2 of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) wishes to provide the following update,” the statement read.
“Preliminary findings indicate that there was no fire at the terminal. The smoke observed within the affected area resulted from the discharge of the terminal’s FM-200 fire suppression system. The reason for the activation of the fire suppression system is currently being investigated,” FAAN stated.
The authority said normal operations had resumed at the terminal while investigations were ongoing to determine the cause of the incident.
“Normal operations have since resumed at the terminal, while detailed investigations are ongoing to determine the exact cause of the incident,” the statement added.
The authority thanked passengers, airlines, airport users and other stakeholders for their understanding and cooperation.
FAAN appreciated the understanding and cooperation of passengers, airlines, airport users and all stakeholders, and reiterated its commitment to the safety and security of all airport operations.
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