National Association of Itsekiri Graduates has accused oil and gas giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, of marginalization in its recent recruitment exercise, threatening the company with “showdown.”

NAIG alleged that the oil firm employed about 300 persons “secretly, in flagrant disregard to the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010.”

NAIG averred that the oil company “had conducted such large scale recruitment without publishing it in any national daily or on their official website or through a third party.”

The allegation was contained in a statement jointly signed by NAIG’s President and Secretary, Messrs Mino Esiategiwa and Ben Eyitemi Eburajolo, respectively, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri, Delta State on Wednesday.

The group lamented that “CNL has been marginalizing the Itsekiri nation for over 30 years, since it acquired Gulf assets and expanded its operations in our land, not only in terms of employment and human capacity building, but also in terms of Corporate Social Responsibilities, as there is no medical centre/hospital built and equipped in any of the Itsekiri host communities, no electricity, portable drinking water, etc.”

Demanding that “those purportedly recently engaged by CNL be demobilised and send back immediately, while Itsekiris are called up to occupy at least 60 per cent of the alleged vacancies,” NAIG threatened the oil firm with showdown “if those mobilized for the perceived vacancies are not Itsekiri, Ijaw and Ilaje from the host communities.”

It stated that “whatever means CNL, including Project Bella, is proposing to convert contract employees to staff, Itsekiri should be considered first.”

The statement partly reads, “Our attention has been drawn to the current recruitment being done by CNL where about 300 persons have either been called for medical or mobilised to resume work at various locations nationwide.

“It is disheartening to know that CNL, operator of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited JV in OML 49, OML 90, OML 95, EGTL, Chevron Tank Farm, Agbami, Sonam, etc., conducted such large scale recruitment, without publishing it in any national daily or on its official website or through a third party.

“National Association of Itsekiri Graduates discovered from our investigation that several of these new intakes have resumed in various locations, while others will resume this week.

“The new intakes, have resumed in all Chevron locations such as CNL Offshore, Onshore, Deep Water, Warri and Lagos facilities, South Offshore Area.

“We find it provocative that Chevron has decided to undermine not just the Itsékiri nation, who are the major host to its operations in Nigeria once more, but conducted this recruitment in flagrant disregard to the Nigerian Oil, and Gas Industry Content Dev. Act 2010.

“That this employment was conducted in secrecy, without giving opportunity of participation to eligible Itsekiri graduates only shows that Chevron has declared war on the Itsekiri nation and, as such, should leave our land immediately, else we can’t guarantee the safety of their operations in our land any longer, unless all those mobilized to resume in all locations listed above that are not from any of the host ethnic nationalities (Itsekiri, Ijaw, and Ilaje) are demobilised and sent packing immediately while Itsekiris are called up to occupy at least 60 per cent of the vacancy available, without undergoing any aptitude test or interview as already done by Chevron to those whom they are to replace.

“We wish to emphasize that CNL has been marginalizing the Itsekiri nation for over 30 years since it acquired Gulf assets and expanded its operations in our land, not only in terms of employment and human capacity building, but also in terms of Corporate Social Responsibilities as there is no medical center/hospital built and equipped in any of the Itsekiri host communities, no electricity, portable drinking water, etc.

Source- Punch Newspaper.