BY Emma Arubi
WARRI— HUNDREDS of protesters from Aja-Omaetan oil-rich community in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State, Monday,  shut the gates of  Chevron Nigeria Limited, on Warri/NPA expressway and disrupted its operations for several hours before their leaders were invited into the premises of the company for dialogue.

The protesters, who arrived the company at about 6 a.m., grounded all activities at the company, as they prevented all staff from entry while dozens of mobile policemen and soldiers from the Effurun Barracks were on hand to prevent a break down of law and order.

The placard carrying peaceful protesters, who claimed that Chevron had over the years refused to accord them their rightful dues, said  that they had been pushed to the wall and left with no other option than to take the battle to Chevron’s gates.

Chairman and Secretary of Aja-Omaetan community, Mr. Anthony Jemide and Austin Ayonronfo, told Vanguard, during the protest that their major worry included the frequent employment of youths from other communities by Chevron to Aja-Omaetan  to clear the company’s Right-of-Way, while people of the community were left out.

They added that Chevron took their peaceful disposition for granted when it continued to deny the community its dues and privileges in the security surveillance job in their Dibi field while same was given out as public relation to some highly placed persons  in the society to the detriment of Aja-Omaetan people, who ought to have been given some of the the jobs as of right.

According to them, Chevron had deliberately left them out in the soon to commence “Long Term Project,” which include the building of some legacy facilities, including staff quarters and laying of pipelines in the Dibi field operations. They also alleged that the company had denied the community their fair share of scholarship wards.

Vanguard gathered from government sources that its had accordingly advised Chevron to grant the community request as they were legitimate but the company had not deem it fit to obey the Delta State government position on the lingering crisis between parties, resulting into the protest.