The Olu of Warri, His Majesty Ogiame Atuwatse 111 on Wednesday urged the Itsekiri people to sustain their ongoing peaceful protest against what they tagged the shoddy implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act.

Atuwatse III made the call through the palace chiefs led by the Ologbotsere of Warri kingdom, Chief Oma Eyewuoma, who paid a solidarity visit to the aggrieved Itsekiri protesters who have been picketing the Warri Zonal Office of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) since Monday to press home their demands.

The protesters had alleged moves by NUPRC to undermine the position of the Olu of Warri on the PIA arguing that some influential individuals were at work to compromise the Commission to tinker with the working documents.

It will be recalled that the Olu of Warri had compiled a list of Host Communities Development Trust (HCDT) in Ireland for the IOCs which some indigenes had kicked against, saying the monarch’s action was not specified in the PIA.

The Itsekiri protesters armed themselves with placards with inscriptions such as “Allow IOC to do their jobs”, “The Olu of Warri’s decision is final”, “No more divide and rule”, “NUPRC must do the right thing”, among others, defied the torrential downpour that lasted for several hours on Monday and Tuesday catching fun and dancing to their traditional music supplied by a hired Disc Jockey, as they laid siege at the NUPRC entrance.

A caterer was also hired to prepare food for the teeming protesters, an indication that they were not ready to shift ground until the needful was done.

The Ologbotsere while addressing the people on behalf of the Olu of Warri said they “would resist attempt by few group of individuals to continue to covert their common patrimony to their personal benefits”.

According to him, the same group of individuals was trying to upturn the PIA board constituted by the Itsekiri people at the instance of the royal father.

He said, “We are demanding what is ours. We do not want anybody’s own. What is ours should be given to all of us as Itsekiris.

“The step that the Olu of Warri has taken to ensure that every person benefits from the largess that God Almighty has put in our land.

“A few groups of people are trying to scuttle it, that is what we are against and that is why we are here.

“We are here because lies have been told to the NUPRC and they are likely to make decisions based on the lies they have been told.

“So, we the Itsekiri people are saying enough is enough. We want everybody to hear us, see us, listen, and sympathise with us.”

Also speaking, Chief Eugene Ikomi said that the Itsekiri people had suffered enough, noting that the leadership of the Atuwatse 111 had brought a new direction into the Itsekiri nation.

Ikomi said that the Itsekiri nation belonged to all of them and not a few individuals.

“Our people have suffered more than enough, now we have a new government that has brought direction to the Itsekiri nation.

“I want to let everyone know that the time Itsekiri belongs to a small of people is over. We are gathering here to take back our communities and by the grace of God, we will take it,” Ikomi said.

On his part, Chief Francis Omatsone urged the people to remain united in order to move the Itsekiri nation forward.

Itsekiri forward through a peaceful protest not by fighting,” he said.

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