Hundreds of candidates sitting the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination in Warri, Delta State, were barred from the examination hall on Thursday by a mob protesting alleged marginalisaton by the Petroleum Training Institute.
The protesters, who came from various quarters in Effurun, barricaded the main entrance of PTI, which is located at the town, and stopped people from gaining access to the institution.
Consequently, the candidates that were due to sit their UTME examination in the institution were barred from the school.
The protest also caused serious traffic in that part of the town, with a spill-over effect on the Warri–Port Harcourt road.
The protesters said they had for long been aggrieved over the continued marginalisation in the areas of employment, contracts and other welfare packages.
The protesters, which included men, women and youths, carried placards with the inscription, ‘No employment for our children, no peace for PTI’; ‘PTI has employed 159 persons, we want our 50% job slots’; ‘We want to discuss with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Deziani Alison-Madueke’; ‘Show me what kind of federal character is being practised in federal institutions in Nigeria and a lot of others’.
Addressing newsmen, Chairman of Uvwie Community, John Enakireru, said several fruitless representations had been made to the school authorities to employ qualified youths from the area.
He said, “We are demanding our fair share of job placements for Uvwie sons and daughters. But PTI authorities continues to turn deaf ears to our demands.
“It is sad that in its 42 years of existence, no Uvwie person has held any key position (in PTI). Yet we say we are one Nigeria.
“We are demanding 40 per cent job placements as contained in the bill establishing the local content scheme for host communities.”
Enakireru said the protesters would continue to block the entrance to PTI till their request was answered.
The Youth President, Mr. Samson Agboire, explained that the school authorities had completely ignored them and their patience was running out.
But the Public Relations Officer of the institute, Mr. Brown Ukanefemoni, pleaded for calm, explaining that the institution was already discussing the issue.
According to him, the Acting Principal, John Orukele, is a listening Chief Executive, stressing that he was taking the matter seriously and urged the protesters to embrace peace.
