By VICTOR AHIUMA-YOUNG
Indigenes of Opuama in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta state, have protested their continued cut off from power from a Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC generator.

The community alleged that the town had been thrown into darkness for over four years, following the replacement of an indigent contractor (names withheld) with a Shell preferred one.

Some community leaders of the community who were accompanied by some aggrieved youths claimed that the community was cut off from an electricity generating plant provided by Shell in 2007.

According to a statement jointly signed by the chairman of the community, Chief Johnbull Adaun, a representative of the Elders Council, Chief EgwareL Oboh, and a representative of the youths, Mr. OkotieTun-emi, “since the contractor took over the job of providing the town with electricity, he failed to meet the electricity need of the community.”

They further alleged that “In a giving month, he barely provides electricity in two days, and whereas SPDC has been meeting all her financial obligations. The contractor is deliberately denying the community of her rights to enjoy this single benefit from SPDC.”

The community therefore demanded that Shell quickly replaced the contractor, while offering his possible successor.

“If this call is ignored by SPDC, the community will take the next step of blocking her Kosini and Edjeba offices to push through her demand. Also the community will ensure that the Opuama Flow station is closed down. As at the time of compiling this reports, the youths were in an uncontrollable situation, as the elders were battling to calm them down,” the statement warned.