The ongoing nationwide protest, on Monday, spread to the Eleme/Onne section of the East/West Road of Rivers as a large crowd of protesters stormed the popular section connecting the Port Harcourt refineries.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Akpajo axis of the East-West Road, up to the entrance leading to Indorama Petrochemicals, was taken over by angry protesters, who disrupted free vehicular movements.
The East-west road is a major route connecting Port Harcourt city to key business facilities, like the Onne seaport, Port Harcourt refineries, Indorama Petrochemicals and more than six Local Government Areas of the state.
The protesters, who carried on their activities peacefully, displayed placards with inscriptions, expressing dissatisfaction over the pervasive poverty, hunger and high cost of food items in the country.
Some of the people told newsmen that they were not satisfied with the Federal Government’s appeal to call off the protest. One of them, Walson Idah, said that they chose to spotlight the East-west road in the expression of their anger “over hunger, poverty and infrastructure deficit” in the supposed viable business area.
"We need the government to revive the refineries, which have so much employment and empowerment opportunities for us.
"In spite of the huge economic potentials in the business area, we are unemployed, hungry and poor, we are not taking any palliatives from politicians.
“We need jobs, good roads, affordable electricity, and basic infrastructure,” Idah said.
They called on the Federal Government to address the problem of the high cost of staple foods which, they said, had gone out of the reach of many families.
They also urged the Federal Government to hold the governors responsible for their alleged failure to implement its policies with the fuel subsidy intervention funds.