The enraged protesters, which included members of the host communities, namely: Ekpan, Ubeji, Aja-Etan, Ifie-Kporo and Ijala-Ikeren, marched to lock up the gate of the company.
They insisted that the protest would continue until the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr Mele Kyari, intervened and do the needful.
Security operatives comprising policemen and officers of the 3 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, were on ground with their vehicles to forestall any breakdown of law and order.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards they displayed read: “NNPC management, we need our conversion to staff after working for 16 years”, WRPC, staff cannot continue to be slaves in our motherland?” “President Buhari take NNPC support staff to our Next Level,” “NASS kindly save us from NNPC slavery,” and “Age is no more on our side, We have spent our useful age with NNPC,” among others.
Among the protesters who spoke said, they had spent their productive years as casual workers in WRPC without any hope of being converted to full staff.
Mr Edemerukewan Emedwor, who spoke to newsmen, said the protest was not to go against the law, but to fight for their rights.
“We are not slaves, we are putting our strength and resources into this job, all we need is for them to convert us so we can have job security,” he said.
Another protester, Samuel Ihadieu,
said, despite the huge effort they had put into the work, the management was still not satisfied with their performance.
“In spite of our exposure to toxic elements and the hard labour, the management in the last couple of months said that we are incompetent,” he lamented.
They, however, called on President Buhari to intervene to ensure that their appointments was regularised before they attain the age of retirement.
The Administrative Manager of WRPC, Mr Solomon Siakpere, who was on ground, could not entreat the protesters to allow some persons into the plant in order to attend to safety issues.