Even as the tank farm owners and marketers count their losses, normalcy and calm have finally returned to Kirikiri axis of Apapa Lagos after last week’s protest and total lockdown of the petroleum tank farms operating at the area by some of the indigenes.
Even as the tank farm owners and marketers count their losses, normalcy and calm have finally returned to Kirikiri axis of Apapa Lagos after last week’s protest and total lockdown of the petroleum tank farms operating at the area by some of the indigenes.
Operations at the five petroleum tank farms namely; Bovas Oil, Techno Oil, Swift Oil, Index Petrolube Africa and Fatgbems Oil had been paralyzed last week Monday and Tuesday by the indigenes who claimed that the oil firms neglected the community, especially on the deplorable state of the roads and in providing jobs for the community’s youths.
Confirming the situation to Shipping Position Daily, a top official of one of the tank farms; Mr. Onward Onwudiwe explained that normalcy has returned to the area and that normal business activities are now ongoing.
While recounting the ordeal, Onwudiwe explained that the indigenes commonly known as ‘omo onile’ had restricted trucks from coming to load products from the tank farms because they allegedly refused to offer jobs to the youths and that they have also destroyed the two major roads in the community; namely, Cardoso and Karimu with their heavy duty trucks.
He told our correspondent that this is coming even after the oil firms had employed some of the locals who do not really merit the positions given to them. According to him, the youths also have a certain amount of money which they allegedly collect from each truck coming to load product from the depot which according to him, is not accounted for.
But the protesters had last week Tuesday displayed several placards with inscriptions such as: "repair our roads and provide jobs for our youths", also blamed the sorry state of the major roads in the town on oil companies and vowed to halt their operations by preventing tanker trucks from entering into the community, until their demands were met.
President-General of Kirikiri Youth Association, Mr. Udoji Popoola, explained that the protest remained the only option since the companies had reneged on their promises to repair the roads.
He said: "We are not fighting anybody, we are not destroying anything. All we are agitating for is that the roads in this community are in a very bad condition and that it is high time they were repaired."
However, Shipping Position Daily gathered that the situation was finally resolved on Thursday when the oil firms allegedly decided to pay a huge amount of money to the indigenes in other for peace to reign. The oil firms have also agreed to look into some of the request posted by the locals.
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