Chairman of Bonny Local Government Area, David Irimagha has condemned in strong terms the persistent refusal by multinationals operating in Bonny to employ youths and indigenes of the area.

He warned that these may lead to avoidable crisis, calling on the affected multinationals to change their ways.

Irimagha gave this warning on Tuesday, June 11, 2019 when he intervened to stop a protest by youths of Bonny Kingdom which shut down operations at Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) crude oil terminal in Bonny for about five hours.

Youths of the area under the aegis of Bonny Youth Assembly (BYA), who vehemently stopped staff of Shell and her contractors from accessing the facility, said they were incensed by Shell’s refusal to employ youths of the community or engage her leaders on critical issues.

The Bonny LG Chairman regretted that though he had been complaining of the attitude of the companies in the area, they remained obdurate, warning that this standpoint was inimical to affable community relations.

“It’s what I have been complaining about. It has to do with the neglect of employment of community members. That’s just the issue. And I think I have been sounding this warning, I have engaging, talking with the IOCs, Shell and all of them to ensure that whenever they are coming to do their legitimate work or function that they should engage our people, the Bonny people, the youths. They should always engage them.”

“We are not saying that just only Bonny people will be engaged, we have people from rivers state and other parts of the country. It is a collaboration of Nigerians but preference should be given to the host community. I think that is what they (youths) are asking for.”

“Thank God that I heard and waded in and I have been able to speak with them, everywhere is calm and is peaceful, work has resumed normally. Later I will meet with the management of Shell and the agitators to find a lasting solution to this incident that occurred this morning.”

“We have been doing our best but sometimes they tend to disobey to this instruction, common instruction: engage our people. Stop bringing people behind the doors to give them gainful employment here while our people are redundant. I have been talking about it but I think we will keep talking, there must be a headway.”

“It is part of the attempt to undermine the economic wellbeing of bonny local government. It is part of it, it part what we are talking about even when I came that was the first thing. They are trying to make an opposite submission to me but I told them that there was no smoke without fire. There must be a cause for action.”

“Look at what is happening here. The people are reacting, they are agitating and I see them. Most of them are also not working. So, it is very wrong when people are coming in to do what they are supposed to do. We don’t expect them to be happy. You don’t expect to beat a child and expect the child not to cry. It is not possible.”