Chevron Nigeria Limited(CNL), an operator of the joint venture between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC) and CNL(the NNPC|CNL JV) has named Mr Richard Kennedy as its new Chairman and managing Director.
A statement signed by the company’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Esimaje Brikinn, said the appointment of Mr. Kennedy would be effective as from November 1, 2020.
Recall that Chevron Nigeria chapter of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) had last month alleged that there is a secret plot by the multi-national oil company to lay off six hundred workers, and relocate the designated jobs to America.
PENGASSAN which organized a protest at the Lagos corporate office of Chevron said the protest became imperative because the organization was finalizing plans to sack additional 600 staff after it had secretly shut its doors against 2,000 indigenous Nigerian workers.
Recall that PENGASSAN Chevron Branch Chairman, Comrade Ete Oyegbanren who spoke with journalists alleged that the company was perpetrating the alleged illicit act under the cover of purportedly adhering to COVID-19 protocols.
According to the Union leader, all the affected 2,000 staff have been “constructively dismissed” and are sadly being asked to re-apply for new roles “while 600 of them are already penciled down to be sacked at the end of the fresh recruitment based on a pseudo reorganization of the company”
Comrade Oyegbanren further alleged that the strategy is to replace these sacked Nigerians with Americans who are currently working remotely from their homes both in Nigeria and overseas, a development he said would escalate an already worse unemployment situation in Nigeria.
The Labour leader had further claimed that these secret sacks by Chevron management run in sharp contrast with President Muhammadu Buhari ‘s led federal government initiative and policy aimed at creating about 1 million jobs per year .
He said: “We are also aware that the FG advised companies not to sack Nigerian workers under the guise of Covid 19. We have credible information that Chevron Management is boasting that the President of Nigeria cannot dictate to them how to run the company, despite the fact that NNPC owns 60% of the Joint Venture.”
Comrade Oyegbanren lamented that the the decision to sack additional 600 workers is not only inhuman but also grossly unacceptable especially at this material time when their American expatriates’ counterparts are being paid hefty emoluments and their continued employment fully guaranteed.
Oyegbanren called on the top management of Chevron including its Chairman and Managing Director, respectively who are paid hefty sums as salaries, to first consider relieving themselves of their roles and positions if they are truly sincere about job cut.
According to him, the lower cadre technical team that are being laid off are the ones “working hard to sustain Nigeria’s oil and gas production even in the midst of Covid 19 pandemic”.
To him, the move by the oil company is not only condemnable but a grand, tragic plan by Chevron Management which he said is part of a larger plot by the multinational oil company operating in Nigeria to relocate work and roles being done in Nigeria to its home country.
While appealing to the Federal Government to call the Board and Management of Chevron to order and direct them to comply with Nigerian laws, protocols and regulations in the Oil and Gas industry, the Labour Chief said the Minister of State for Petroleum, GMD of NNPC and the Director of DPR should as a matter of urgent national priority, take immediate steps “to ensure that Nigeria’s national interest is protected in this unfolding situation”.
He added: “We have therefore decided not to allow this imperialist agenda in our country and we will not support such manipulative reorganization which is not based on the due process of labour law regulating activities of companies in our fatherland.”
It is not clear if the appointment of Mr Kennedy is to help manage the crisis and determined issues.
Prior to his appointment, Kennedy who is an Engineer by training had previously served as GM, Marine Services at Chevron. Until his present role, he was the company’s director responsible for Deepwater and Production Sharing Contracts, a position which enabled him to ascertain CNL’s Deepwater portfolio and assets.
