Youths from Alesa and Alode communities in Eleme, host to the Port Harcourt Refinery, have staged a protest at the refinery's main entrance, halting activities and demanding fair employment opportunities.

The protesters, numbering in the hundreds, barricaded the entrance with placards decrying the refinery's alleged marginalization of local employment slots.

Community leaders, including Hon. Johnson Nwogu and Engr. Eric Chujor, President of the Eleme Graduates Forum, expressed outrage over the recent employment of only 13 Eleme residents and less than five from Alesa, despite the Nigeria Content Act's provisions.

They lamented the exploitation of Eleme resources by multinationals, IOCs, and indigenous companies, demanding an end to the injustice and fair representation in employment and contract opportunities.