By Jimitota Onoyume
PORT HARCOURT— Youths of Egbema in Rivers State have handed down a 14-day ultimatum to Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited to employ indigenes of the area into managerial level and other cadre or face their wrath.

The youths, in a letter to Managing Director of the oil company, said they were shocked that the firm recently conducted oral interview for prospective employees and none of them was from Egbema, where the firm does its major operations, was invited.

The letter by Igwe Andy, Ejekwe Mackson and four others, said Egbema communities have 27 oil wells, “excluding gas wells with a production rate of 40,000 barrels per day, which amount to trillions of naira.”

In another letter to the governor of the state by Mgbenwa Eze and Onwuma Douglas, the youth body urged him to quickly intervene to avert any crisis in the area.

It reads in part: “As responsible and law abiding citizens, we had exercised caution and will like to exhaust all avenues of social dialogue known to law.”

This is why we are requesting that Agip fulfills their part of all MoUs entered into with Egbema communities which emphasised employment, award of contracts, scholarships, infrastructure and social benefits.”