- Seeks Tinubu’s Intervention Over ‘Inimical’ Employment Policy
By Kolawole Ojebisi
The people of Omadini community in Delta State has written a protest letter to President Bola Tinubu seeking his intervention over an alleged ongoing skewed employment policy of a major oil firm, Chevron Nigeria Limited.
According to the letter, the people of Omadini, which is in Warri South, Warri South-West and Warri North local government areas of Delta State, are kicking against the policy, claiming “it is inimical to the interest of Itsekiri”.
The community’s grievances are contained in a letter made available to journalists in Warri on Tuesday.
The letter was signed by Omadino community Chairman and Secretary, Mr. Tuoyo Mogbeyiteren and Mr. Benjamin Akoreh, respectively.
As contained in the letter, the Omadino community expressed concern that “CNL is presently carrying out an employment exercise, under a policy that is inimical to the interest of the Itsekiri nation host communities, especially Omadino.”
The petitioners stated: “The total six oil fields that constitute the operational onshore leases of CNL, of which two(Uton Nana and Makaraba fields) are hosted by Omadino community, making her the host community of approximately 40 per cent of CNL’s onshore operations.”
While alleging marginalization of Omadino in the ongoing employment exercise, the community stated that it had earlier “written a series of letters to Chevron Nigeria Limited, without any response.”
In its petition to Tinubu, the community further maintained that “despite being a major stakeholder in the operations of CNL, coupled with a long and uninterrupted period of ensuring an enabling environment for her operations in our land, CNL has only repaid our civilized gesture with outright disregard towards our welfare and genuine interests in a number of ways.”
The Omadino community demanded that “provisions should be made for the Itsekiri, host nation in Chevron’s areas of operations as it relates to employment and award of contract.”
The protest letter to the President partly reads: “In the area of employment, CNL has practically relegated our people to the backwaters, and have continually adopted strategies that have made it possible for her to employ people from outside the host communities, i.e. Omadino community.
“We have observed over the years that it is Chevron management’s policy to surreptitiously smuggle in their preferred candidates on the pretence of equal opportunity, without total regard for qualified and competent hands within our community.
“A case in hand is the ongoing recruitment exercise embarked upon by CNL, which, by all indications is designed to go the same way as previous similar exercises, which completely robbed our people of opportunities to participate in the economic activities that are carried out within their God-given land.
“In terms of contract awards, CNL does not consider any of our qualified local contractors fit for any contracts as they have deliberately denied us contract opportunities in their operations.
“It is instructive to state that we have competent and qualified indigenous contractors within our community who can execute any contract in Chevron operations. Again, this also has a heavy toll on the quality of life of our people.
“Your Excellency, sir, so far in the history of the Niger Delta, violence has sharpened many aspects of our lives, and has also in many instances robbed the Nigerian state of benefits that are supposed to be due to her.
“Unfortunately, we are now very near to that mode of operations again as the activities of CNL have caused our people great frustration to the extent that they are now beginning to accept the idea that violence is a veritable tool for achieving their aims if the same will not be achieved through civilized means. Our people are restive.
“We desperately urge you to use your good office and prevail on the management of CNL to address our very firm demand that CNL should, as a matter of corporate responsibility, set aside a reasonable percentage of employment opportunities for our people in line with relevant provisions of the Local Content Law.
“It is therefore our demand that provisions should be made for the Itsekiri, host nation in Chevron areas of operations as it relates to employment and award of contract enumerated above.
“We also made bold to state strongly that CNL is presently carrying out an employment exercise under a policy that is inimical to the interest of the Itsekiri nation host communities, especially the Omadino community.
“This issue must be addressed and the Omadino community should be given its due and appropriate percentage/ quota in the ongoing employment to curb the injustice been melted on Omadino community.”
