Youths disrupt operations of Lafarge plant in Cross River

Youths numbering over one thousand (1, 000) from host communities of United Cement Company (UNICEM) of Nigeria, Mfamosing plant in Akamkpa local Government Area of Cross River have disrupted the operations of the Cement Company. UNICEM is a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa Plc.
The youths, who were drawn from the two host local government areas of Akamkpa and Akpabuyo, erected barricades that prevented staff of the company from entering their offices and forcing the company to put production on hold.

The youths carried placards such as: stop modern slavery, we deserve good drinking water and hospitals, royalties to elders must be paid, return our headquarters to Calabar, employ our youths into management cadre and others.
The youths leader of Akpabuyo local government, Mr Bassey Effiong, who spoke on behalf of the protesting youths, said that the company have been marginalising indigenes of the host communities for a long time now.

Effiong added that youths from the host communities were only employed to work as labourers, adding that none of their sons or daughters is employed as direct staff in the managerial cadre of the company.

“Enough of the modern slavery, our youths have worked for over 8 years without promotion. They keep telling us that our youths don’t have the technical-know-how, even when they have refused to train them.
“We want them to relocate the headquarters of the company from Lagos back to Calabar. How can they take the head office to Lagos when all the raw materials and production of the cement is done here?
“We have written to the companies more than a thousand times, but they have never acted. We want them to also re-instate our indigenes that were sacked,” he said.