By Our Correspondent, Warri

The Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse 111 has appealed to the Ifiekporo  community to suspend their protest against the 9 oil Tank Farms operating on their land for allegedly failing to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) with them for the past 12 years of operation.

The royal father’s appeal was delivered to the community elders through Chief Eugene Ikomi and Mr. Esimaje Awani with a promise to invite the owners of the Tank Farms and a 6-man delegation from the community  for a meeting Wednesday next week at his palace, even as expressed his gratitude to the protesters for being very peaceful in their conduct.

Responding to the Olu’s appeal, Chairman of Ifiekporo Community Trust, Mr. Peter Ede said they cannot be seen to disobeying the revered royal father and promised to remove the road blockage but requested that the delegation be made up of 9 persons from the community.

He expressed optimism that the said meeting will yield the desired result of getting an MoU signed failing which they would not allow the companies to operate on their land and they should not be held responsible for action thereafter as they have been taken for granted for too long.

“For these many years of operation on our land, our graduates and other employable men and women are only fit as cleaners and security guards while persons from other parts of country are engaged as top management staff with huge salary package. 

We cannot continue to be slaves in our home. This oppression, neglect, disrespect, bullying with government security agents must stop forthwith. If they want to kill us let them kill us but we cannot afford to take it anymore”, the Trust Chairman assured.