By Daniel Olukayode
The protests in Otumara oil flow Station, Warri is a deliberate plot to embarrass the Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu.
Some people invaded the flow station at the weekend disrupting oil flow in a strategic offshore located in Itsekiri land.
They shut down strategic logistic facilities such as the helipad and other sensitive part of the facility.
Oil experts fear the protest may affect President Tinubu’s commitment to complete the Warri Refinery and ensure production in months ahead.
Speaking in Warri on Sunday, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) and the former Federal House of Representatives representing the Warri Federal Constituency, Mr. Daniel Reyenieju said the protest was instigated to cause disaffection and undermine the efforts by President Tinubu to stabilise oil flow and fix the Warri refineries before the end of the year.
He said the sponsors of the protest are notorious for benefitting and making financial gains from instability in the oil rich region regretting that some people who claim to be members of the APC are deeply involved in sponsoring the protest.
The protest erupted in Otumara Flow Station in the Warri South-West Local Government Council area of Delta State at the weekend threatening no less than production of 20,000 barrels of oil.
The protest was led by some persons claiming to be representing the interests of Dehele, Ugboegungun and Ugborodo communities in the Warri South-West.
Hon Reyenaiju who has the support of leading youth organisations in Delta State said sponsores of the protesters were hiding over issues bordering on the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) but that in reality they are elements bent on creating instability for personal gains.
He said the main motive is to create confusion and undermine the nascent democracy adding that the sponsors are working with the opposition and other anti-democracy elements using the Warri protest as a bait.
Speaking to journalists Reyenaiju expressed utter disgust and pain over the said protest which according to him can only emanate from infantile rascals driven by violence for economic gains.
The former federal lawmaker described the action of the sponsors of the protesters claiming to be from the three communities as acts of criminality under the guise of protest over the implementation of the PIA.
Reyenieju lamented that sone individuals claiming leadership position within the ruling APC at the federal level are among those organizing and leading the protest, and at the same time describing themselves as supporters of the present Federal Government.
He said their sponsoring of the protest has shown clearly their history of opportunism and how unreliable they are.
“When they are in Abuja, they pretend to be APC. When they are in Warri, they work with the opposition to cause violence to embarrass the same Federal authority in their characteristic unstable manners motivated by personal gains.”
Reyenieju said any action by any group or individuals that will affect the free-flow of the about 20,000 barrels of crude oil from the Otumara Flow Station, particularly at this critical time will amount to deliberate attempt to undermine the efforts of President Tinubu’s administration to revamp Nigeria’s economy and thus most unacceptable.
Reyenieju called on all those involved in the protest to retrace their steps and specifically begin a process of interacting with the leadership of the Itsekiri ethnic nation so that all the varied contending views on methods of implementing the PIA within the Itsekiri biosphere can peacefully be harmonized for the overall interests of the Itsekiris as a collective.
He further described the protest as acts capable of presenting the Itsekiri ethnic nation in bad light in relation to the present Federal administration.
He said majority of the indigenes of the aforementioned three communities are historically law abiding and should not allow the dispositions of the few miscreants within them to superordinate over the peaceful dispositions of the majority.