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The last of a series of sieges by women protesters on facilities of ChevronTexaco in southeastern Nigeria's Niger Delta has ended following an agreement between representatives of the protesters and the US transnational, company officials said on Friday.
The officials said under the terms of the agreement signed on Thursday with a chief of the Gbaramutu community, whose women had occupied four ChevronTexaco facilties for eight days, the company would build a hospital and provide fair access to employment for qualified people from the area.
"The company's employment and recruitment policy will deliberately ensure a fair and equitable representation of qualified indigenes from the communities in the company's workforce," the text of the agreement read.
Chief Wellington Okirika, who signed on behalf of the Gbaramutu clan, pledged that the communities would abide by the deal, whose provisions include the creation of a conducive environment for the company to carry out its operations. "Based on the memorandum of understanding we have signed today, our women will vacate the flow stations tomorrow (Friday)," Okirika said.
A similar agreement was reached between ChevronTexaco and women from the Ugborodo community, who started the latest round of protests in Nigeria’s volatile oil region by staging a 10-day occupation of the company’s Escravos export terminal from 8 July.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
