Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, Central Zone on Monday attacked and shutdown a total of 10 telecommunications masts and power plants in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, over unemployment and diesel supplies contracts.
IYC Chairman, Central Zone, Mr Kennedy Olorogun, and his team, who picketed telecom facilities belonging to MTN, GLO, Airtel and others across Yenagoa, said they would no longer allow the companies to continue awarding their jobs to only non-indigenes especially contracts to supply diesel to their facilities.
Olorogun said IYC wrote many letters to the management of all the telecom firms operating in the state, on the need to correct the imbalance insisting that the council would no longer tolerate the companies’ practice of outsourcing diesel supply to only non-indigenes in the state.
He said following lack of responses to all the letters, the IYC in separate letters issued 14-day ultimatum to the companies to act or risk disruption of their operations in the state. He said the picketing occurred because the ultimatum expired three days ago but the companies failed to act to avert the threat.
He warned that today’s action was a tip of the iceberg, adding that massive disconnections and more shutdown would hit the companies if they failed to address their grievances.
According to him, “The companies were playing with us. They failed to act. Instead, they wanted to bribe me but I am not the kind of leader that collects bribe.
“We want them to do the right thing. They should address the issues. We are hosting their facilities. They can’t be giving all their jobs to outsiders.”
Olorogun also said one of the letters sent to MTN, the telecoms firm was adequately informed of previous correspondences indicating interest of IYC to be part of some of its empowerment schemes.
He read a copy of the letter sent to MTN in parts, “The council is aware that it is non-indigenes that are doing all the jobs and supplies in the company.
“The desire of the council to be a partaker in in the economic opportunities in your company such as the supply of AGO popularly known as diesel and other basic and fundamental supplies going on in your company are legitimate demands that ought not to be contentious.
“These are embedded in your corporate social responsibility to your host communities and area of operations in line with the Local Content Act 2010. The pecuniary benefits derivable from these economic opportunities would assist the council to organise workshops, trainings and assist indigent members of the council.
“Having discovered that you have elected to treat our request with disdain and your hostile disposition to our peaceful approach is standing as an obstacle towards any meaningful engagement with you,” IYC said.
