Bonny Community Suspends Planned Protest against Oil Multinationals
Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt
A peaceful protest targeted against oil multinationals on the Bonny Island was yesterday suspended, following the purported appeal by the operating companies in the area, especially the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG).
THISDAY gathered that the Chairman of the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee (BKDC), Amairigha Hart, announced the suspension of the protest at Government School field, Bonny.
Tension began to build up Sunday night when members of the Bonny Youth Federation (BYF) intensified mobilisation for shutting down all entry and exit routes to the Island, including markets, offices, etc, over alleged neglect, deprivation and breach of agreements.
This was said to have raised concerns that aroused some of the biggest stakeholders in Bonny local government of Rivers state, including the multinationals such as the NLNG, Shell, ExxonMobil, BelemaOil, and Total, among others.
It was learnt that one of the oil and gas companies contacted the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, and the State Commissioner of Police, both of whom reportedly engaged the Amanyanabo of Bonny Kingdom to appeal for calm.
The Finima Youth Congress (FYC), which ought to be a wing of the Bonny Youth Federation, however, threw a spanner in the mobilisation effort, when it released a statement dissociating Finima people.
This attracted instant reaction from the BYF and the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee who said the Finima youths were sponsored to sabotage the protest.
More rebuttals later came from the Tobin House Council of Elders and the Tobin House Youth Association which dismissed the disclaimers as unfounded and baseless. Probably sensing a confrontation the next day, the authorities and the IOCs were said to have begun to make contacts to stop the protests.
THISDAY gathered that an understanding was reached to suspend the protests, reopen the Island, and allow a meeting to hold between the IOCs led by the NLNG and the Bonny people in two days time.
The Chairman of the Bonny Kingdom Development Committee, Hart addressed the crowd at the Government School field from where they dispersed.
