Women and other natives of Ipo, a host community to the Port Harcourt International Airport in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Wednesday barricaded the gate, entrance and exit points of the airport protesting what they termed as neglect of their area by the airport authority for several years.
The protesting women said they were suffering daily from noise pollution coming from the airport, adding that they lacked basic amenities including power supply, absence of telecommunications network, despite hosting a critical federal government facility.
The women who sang also displayed several placards to drive home their demands such as ‘No compensation for noise pollution’, ‘No federal government empowerment, no employment for our people’ among others.
The protest was said to have disrupted flights at the airport as some travellers missed their scheduled flights.
The situation caused a gridlock from the Omagwa junction down to the airport road and stretched into link roads within the facility as many motorist and travellers were stranded for hours.
The women also decried the absence of markets and good schools, saying they send their children to other communities because of the lack of good schools in the community.
But at the protest assumed a fever pitch, an elder statesman and the Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, Sergeant Chidi Awuse, intervened and addressed the protesters who immediately obeyed him and opened up the barricades they had mounted.
They however said they would resume the protest at a later date if the airport authority failed to do anything meaningful to address their demands.
One of the protesters said, “We are going back home but we don’t have joy. We only obey and respect out father Chief Awuse who spoke to us. But we will come back to this airport and we will sleep here.
“Imagine that the airport is just stone throw to our community, no light, no school, we have been suffering. Please they should do something and come to our aid.”
One of the leaders of the protest identified as Emmanuella, specifically decried lack of employment and empowerment for youths of the community by the airport authority, saying the women had written several letters to the airport authorities without any response.
She stated, “The airport is making use of our land for several years and they are not even seeing us. Some of our children are graduates. Many mothers sold their land, wrappers and other things to train their children in the university.
“After we have trained them they will not give them good employment at the airport. When they give them jobs, it is only cleaners and security.
“Again we don’t have good network from this communication company, we don’t have light (electricity) and hospitals. We don’t have access to the airport, but they allow cows to go in and destroy our farms that are on the other side.”
Similarly, a chief in the community simply identified as Tobechukwu, also said the protest was due to neglect by the federal government, saying the people could no longer bear the suffering.
He stated, “What we saw this morning is as a result of neglect of the federal government to the host of the international airport, Ipo and Omagwa, but Ipo to be precise because as it stands today for almost seven to eight years there is no light in Ipo community, and the airport area are using federal line.
“But Ipo community as their host no light for over seven years now. At the same time Ipo don’t have network. They can bring the telecommunication company and show them the best to mount the mast than living the entire community like this. So it is no longer bearable. That is why the women block the access to the Port Harcourt International Airport.”
Meanwhile, reacting to the protest, the Chairman of Ikwerre LGA, Dr Samuel Nwanosike, said the action of the protesters was illegal and condemnable.
According to Nwanosike, while the right to protest is allowed by the law, processes and procedures must be followed, even as he said the Ikwerre LGA was not aware of the protest.
He stated, “The local government is not aware of such protest. So we consider the protest illegal because I spoke to the councillor of the ward when it was brought to my notice and the councillor said there was no decision taken by the Ipo community.
“The Community Development Committee as we speak has also said they are not part of such decision. They are in a meeting right now including the elders and chiefs are in a meeting with the councillor of the Ward. No such decision was taken.
“What happened was that some individuals hiding under the cover of Ipo landlord association took the laws into their hands to carry out that illegal action. Before you carry out any protest the laws of Nigeria requires you to inform the relevant security agencies.
“You are supposed to inform the local government authority, you are supposed to inform the security agencies, the Area Commander, the Commissioner of Police, having in mind that the facility you are going to barricade is a federal government facility and a lot of activities are going on there.”
The LG boss further said, “That action taken this morning has caused a lot of inconveniences to Nigerians. A lot of people missed their flights; some people became agitated; some have health issues. So as far as I’m concerned it is not an action taken by the people of Ikwere local government.
“Ipo is one of our communities, especially Ward 9 which I govern. I can say to the public that that action is illegal and that is why I gave the security agencies a charge to ask the women to go back home. And they obeyed. But we are not stopping at that the persons behind the protest will face the wrath of the law because they have breached the laws of Nigeria. So they will face the consequences of their action.”
He however said though the council did not authorize the protest, the demands of the protesters was genuine, saying, “Yes Ipo people are facing hardship. I’m aware that before Ipo land was acquired to extend the Airport construction in 1974, Omagwa and Ipo lands were acquired to build the international airport.
“Statements and MoU were signed. The federal government agreed that these host communities would be treated like a special area, amenities, roads, hospitals, relocation of families ancestral compounds who were affected by the construction will be done.
“Those issues are not done yet we agree, but you cannot take a wrong step in trying to achieve a proper decision. We believe that we have been in touch with the Airport Authority and we have been discussing and the federal government has been doing their part.”
Continuing, he said, “In 2005 the federal government came with a political solution where it paid N200 million as compensation to Ipo and Omagwa communities. And they promised that in the nearest future they will come and carry out those developmental activities they promised in the gazzette before they were allowed to access that place.
“We will follow the due process and the laws of Nigeria to ensure that those things are done and done properly.”