Warri Host Communities to NNPC: Reinstate our people or we shut-down your subsidiaries

Aja-Etan, Ubeji, Ifie-Kporo and Ijalla-Ikenren, all host communities to Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, Nigerian Gas Company, NGC as well as Pipeline and Products And Marketing Company, PPMC (all NNPC subsidiaries) have demanded immediate reinstatement of their indigenes that were recently laid off by NNPC and WRPC or they will shut-down operations of the aforesaid companies operating in their land.

The position of Warri South Local Government communities, was made known Wednesday July 22, through a joint communiqué presented to newsmen in Warri.

Our Senior Correspondent reports that the communique was signed by Chairmen of the four Itsekiri Communities’ Trust; vis-à-vis; Engr. Billy Ekele of Aja-Etan, Engr. Clement Erewa of Ubeji, Mr. Clifton Edema of Ifie-Kporo and Prince Adolphus Tosanwumi of Ijalla-Ikeren community.

Comrade Agbateyiniro Oritseweyinmi, fielding questions from newsmen

They stated that they can no longer accept what they described as wickedness, maltreatment, marginalization and sacking of their people, who have spent between seven to 15 years working in WRPC as casual staff, claiming that an erstwhile Managing Director of WRPC/NNPC, Engr. Mohammed Abali, allegedly said the new GMD of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari has vowed not to be friendly with host communities.

Demands by the host communities include, conversion of support staff to permanent staff, inclusion of their sons and daughters in the new recruitment of trainees into NNPC as well as stoppage of the Ajaokuta -Kaduna –Kano, AKK Gas Pipeline Project with immediate effect.

Some aggrieved sacked workers with placards 

While reading the communique on behalf of the host communities, Chairman of Ijalla-Ikeren, Prince Adolphus Tosanwumi, disclosed: "The four host Itsekiri Communities have written petitions against NNPC to National Assembly on February 6, 2020. At a hearing, the House Committee on Public Petitions directed the NNPC management to regularize the host communities’ workers working conditions within two weeks and get back to the House to show how well they have responded to the directive, rather NNPC management went back to sack all Itsekiri host communities’ staff in WRPC, showing their level of disrespect to the National Assembly".

Below is the communique:

ON SACKED WORKERS: It is quite reprehensible that the NNPC/WRPC management chose the path of dishonour by laying off our people in the middle of a global crisis and a national lockdown, even after Mr. President directed that no employees in any public establishments should be sacked during this trying time faced by all Nations of the world because of the covid-19 pandemic. NNPC/WRPC management decided to treat our people and community with so much discontent and disregard by laying off all our kinsmen without any form of justification. 

It is on record that the erstwhile managing director of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, Engr. Mohammed Abali had repeatedly said that the new GMD, Mallam Mele Kyari, vowed not to be friendly with the host communities for reasons best known to him. We thought it was just a joke until things began to unfold. 

We are therefore demanding that our kinsmen who were unjustly sacked by WRPC be reinstated to their duty posts immediately, with an improved working condition; else NNPC should be ready to stop all operations at the Nigerian Gas Company, NGC, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, NPDC, and PPMC. We are ready to take on the NNPC this time around and we will deploy all available forces within our reach.

CONVERSION OF SUPPORT STAFF: Our people have continually been (and still being) used to work as causal staff over the years in very deplorable and inhuman conditions. For the over 42 years of NNPC operations in our communities, our people have systematically been schemed out of gainful employment and prevented from holding any top management posts in the corporation. Rather, year after year, they keep employing our suitably qualified youths as casual staff with the vague promise that they would be upgraded to permanent staff of NNPC within the shortest possible time, which never materializes. We find it very appalling, that today, even as we speak, and after over 42 years, we can't name one of our sons or daughters working in any of these NNPC facilities around us. And yet, we as the host to facilities bear the brunt of the environmental impact of these sometimes deleterious activities. 

There's no gain saying that NNPC management has indeed been wicked to us and our people over the years, even up to recent times, when they carried out mass employment in the NNPC. They refused to consider our people, yet, it is has been these children of ours that continue to train all the previously recruited staff. 

We, the host communities have suffered a lot in the hands of the NNPC. One is left to wonder what really is our benefit in hosting no fewer than 10 NNPC installations if our people cannot be given direct employment in NNPC.

We are calling on the GMD to come clean on this, since his brother had told us that the new NNPC GMD never cared about the host communities.

The Presidency & National Assembly should hold NNPC/WRPC responsible for any breakdown of law and order: We, the host communities to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company are calling on the leadership of the National Assembly to mandate the NNPC management to reinstate our sacked kinsmen, all because they petitioned the Corporation to the green chamber for NNPC to regularize their job after spending over 15 years as causal workers, carrying out major and strategic operational duties in Warri Refinery. 

Our sons and daughters have been (and still being) used as causal staff for over 42 years without consideration by NNPC management to regularize them, which prompted us to join them in taking the issue to the National Assembly. At a hearing on February 6, 2020, the House Committee on Public Petitions directed the management of NNPC to regularize their working condition within two (2) weeks and get back to the House to show how well they have responded to the directives. To our greatest surprise, NNPC management went back and sacked all our children, brothers and sisters in a shameful show of utter disrespect to the Institution of the National Assembly.

We are calling on the chairman of the committee to stand clean on this and perform his duty, as the actions of the NNPC management has caused great tension which sooner than later is capable of leading to major economic disruption in the region and the Nation at large. 

A petition has been lying before the committee on public petition for a year now and the NNPC management, who are close to the national assembly has constantly refused to show up before a constitutionally backed committee. On several occasions, the communities with representatives of the Olu Palace have embarked on journeys to Abuja just to attend the hearings, and yet the house did not deem it fit to sanction NNPC for their disrespect to the committee.

We are fully aware too, that WRPC management is working with some security personnel to harass, intimidate and cause crisis in our communities. We are therefore calling on Mr. President to prevail on the management of NNPC to do the needful, as we will no longer fold our arms and watch the enslavement of our people to continue. 

For emphasis sake, the Presidency, the National Assembly, and the general public must know who to hold responsible in the event of break-down of law and order: NNPC Management.

ON THE NEWLY RECRUITED STAFF: The host communities to NNPC, hosting the Nigerian Gas Company, PPMC, Warri Refinery and NPDC were not considered in the recruitment process. A recruitment process were 1050 persons were employed, NNPC management did not deem it necessary to give out any slot or allocation to the communities which have accorded it over 42 years of peaceful operational environment. In what other way can the hatred and marginalization of our people by the management of NNPC be demonstrated? 

We are using this medium to call on all Nigerians whose sons and daughters were announced to have been employed by the NNPC earlier this year, not to allow their children to step foot on our soil in hope of resuming work, because we can no longer guarantee the safety of new recruits pouring in to our communities to be gainfully employed while our children are made to serve them. These will no longer be tolerated. And as a matter of fact, if the management of the NNPC fails to act and heed to voice of reasoning, they should know that the safety of all assets, facilities as well as employees of the NNPC cannot be guaranteed.

We are using the medium to demand for our slots as host communities in the recent recruitment done by the NNPC. The local content law has provided the guidelines to follow when carrying out such process.

ON THE $2.5 B GAS PIPELINE TO THE NORTHERN PART, THE SO-CALLED AKK PROJECT: Our resolution as host communities is that, that project should be stopped with immediate effect. We note with serious concerns what is now an open secret, that the president Buhari's administration through the NNPC and minister of state for petroleum resources is actively pursuing policies to kill the Warri Refinery (Ditto PHRC & KRPC) to prepare grounds for the Dangote refinery to become the only operational refinery in Nigeria. If this decision is not revised, we will mobilize fully to shut down the operations of the Nigeria Gas Company. For over the years that Nigeria Gas has been in operation in our Land, we cannot testify of 24 hours light, no good roads in our communities, we have not benefitted any good project from its operations.  Yet Mr. President and NNPC are busy laying pipelines to move our gas from here to the north. Enough of the maltreatment, marginalization and hatred of our people by NNPC. History is repeating itself again. Same was Mr. President’s actions some years back when he built a refinery in Kaduna till date after commissioning the refinery has not refined any product for over 30 years of operation.

It beats one's imagination to think that Mr. President, who said in 2015 that when voted for, he will ensure that the Warri refinery becomes fully functional, is today playing the ostrich because the reverse is now the case. President Buhari is now interested in building gas plants and refineries in the Northern part of the country while we the producers of the oil in the South continue to suffer and wallow in agony. We say enough is enough!!!

God bless the Itsekiri nation

God bless the Indigenous people of the South

God bless Delta State

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria

ENGR. EREWA CLEMENT                                     

Chairman

Ubeji Com. Trust                                            

ENGR. BILLY EKELE

Chairman

Aja-Etan Com. Trust

PRINCE ADOLPHUS TOSANWUMI

Chairman

Ijala-Ikenren Com. Trust

MR. CLIFTON EDEMA

Chairman

Ifie-Kporo Com. Trust

OFOEYEJU IZUAGIE

Chairman INYC, Warri South Chapter

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