THE IMPERATIVE TO URGENTLY HALT FURTHER ENCROACHMENT ON OUR LAND AND DIRECT THE MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS COMPANIES, PARTICULARLY CHEVRON NIGERIA LIMITED, CNL, TO RETURN CONTRACTS ORIGINALLY AWARDED TO OUR INDIGENOUS COMPANIES

January 8, 2022

The President

Federal Republic of Nigeria

Aso Villa

Abuja

Your Excellency,

THE IMPERATIVE TO URGENTLY HALT FURTHER ENCROACHMENT ON OUR LAND AND DIRECT THE MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL OIL AND GAS COMPANIES, PARTICULARLY CHEVRON NIGERIA LIMITED, CNL, TO RETURN CONTRACTS ORIGINALLY AWARDED TO OUR INDIGENOUS COMPANIES AND STOP RECRUITMENT OF STRANGER ELEMENTS FOR JOBS DONE BY LOCALS(UGBORODO INDIGENES) OR FACE SHUTDOWN IN TWENTY-ONE DAYS

We are constrained to write you this open letter, with a view to drawing your attention to fresh attempts to encroach on our God-given land, in a provocative manner, by a section of our immediate neighbour and to also intimate you of our resolve to shutdown operations of international oil and gas companies, particularly Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL operating in our homeland 21days, after the date of this correspondent, if the Chevron Nigeria Limited, fail to return contracts originally awarded to our indigenous companies and stop recruitment of stranger elements for jobs done by locals(Ugborodo indigenes). 

The attempted brazen encroachment of our land by some arms’ wielding neigbouring youths on the orders of their self-styled warlord, may sooner than later resort to a total breakdown of law and order in the area, with the snowball effect on the larger Niger Delta region. 

The recent example of the intrusion, was their forceful invasion of the Saghara part of our community (Ugborodo)on Monday November 8, 2021. It was reminiscent of their acts, during the unfortunate Warri crisis. Leader of the intruders, stormed Saghara alongside hundreds of militants, with several double-engine speed boats, carrying sophisticated weapons and chanting war songs. To add insult to injury, they attempted renaming Saghara as "Sarabubor" as they did to several other Itsekiri communities, after the Warri crisis. They criminally erected a caricature deity. These are acts of provocation, taking too far and the Ugborodo and Itsekiri people in general, shall no longer tolerate this brigandage in the name of being peace-loving. This is even more so when all these acts of illegalities and unprecedented aggression by these persons, under the watch of their leader, are being carried out in the presence of security agents, particularly soldiers attached to Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL); an indication that CNL may have a hand in the confrontational drama.

Your Excellency, Saghara, Kpokpo and other communities, our neigbouring Ijaw youths, are encroaching by force of arms, are all parts of Ugborodo Community in Warri South-West Local Government Area, as established by historical trajectory and extant laws. In fact, Saghara, which is part ofUgborodo Community, was so recognized by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) by naming it after one of her Flow Stations in the area. Let it be made even clearer at this point that the Itsekiri generally and Ugborodo people in particular, are very hospitable and neighbourly. If our immediate Ijaw 

neighbours need to use part of Saghara for legitimate activities, all they need to do, is to approach Ugborodo Community with their request and it is most unlikely that such request will be turned down. This has been the practice before the unfortunate Warri crisis. To this end, the seeming drums of war renting the air, is very unnecessary.

Mr. President, at this juncture, we want to passionately appeal to you to use your good offices, to direct the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, to return contracts originally awarded to our indigenous companies and stop recruitment of strangers for jobs done by locals (Ugborodo indigenes) to avert stoppage of the company’s operations in our land at the expiration of the 21-day ultimatum. Because, we have keenly watched with controllable irritation, how the Management of Chevron Nigeria Limited in contravention of the Local Content Act, have tactically and brazenly taken away contracts originally awarded to companies owned by Ugborodo indigenes in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State and subsequently gave out same contracts to strange firms, apparently owned by persons, who are not from their major host community of Ugborodo. The company’s management or persons claiming to be acting on behalf of Chevron Nigeria Limited, started this vexatious development, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and have somewhat decided to make it a standard practice, irrespective of its illegality and utter disregard for Ugborodo indigenes.

This obnoxious approach, often executed through the use of National Petroleum Investment Management Service, NAPIMS to advertise for open bids, for contracts perfectly executed by indigenous contractors, pre-COVID -19 pandemic, is a direct affront on our people and recipe for crisis, to say the least.

The same trajectory, has been noticed in the questionable staff recruitment processes, adopted by Chevron Nigeria Limited since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. We have it on good authority that whilst qualified, competent and experienced Ugborodo indigenes are dropped almost on weekly basis from their jobs, Chevron appears to have leveraged on its quarantine policy of restricted hotel accommodation for workers (direct and in-direct) prior to resumption on location, to surreptitiously disengage Ugborodo indigenes and smuggle in new recruits, who are strangers.

It might interest you to know that the Group Managing Director, GMD of NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari, has shown on a couple of times that he is among oil and gas chiefs that have no regard for we, Ugborodo indigenes as he had occasionally visited the area, without attempting to visit us (Ugborodo indigenes) to at-least appreciate the peaceful atmosphere we have created for the International Oil and Gas Companies, IOCs to operate.

Finally Sir, the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, should as a matter of urgency be directed to revert the following:- (I) TO RETURN CONTRACTS ORIGINALLY AWARDED TO OUR INDIGENOUS COMPANIES. (II) CONTRACTS SHOULD BE AWARDED TO OUR INDIGENOUS CONTRACTORS WHO HAVE NOT GOTTEN. (III) TO STOP RECRUITMENT OF STRANGERS FOR JOBS DONE BY LOCALS (Ugborodo indigenes) or face total shutdown of its operations in Ugborodo land.

 Signed for and on behalf of Ugborodo Community.

Benson Dube Omadeli

(The Olaja-Orori of Ugborodo Land)

SUOOO The VI

Daniel Omagbemi Ogbiji Uwawah

(The Aguominda of Ugborodo Community)

Pa. Anderson Ebiekutan

(Secretary, Ugborodo Community Council of Elders

Cc:

1. The Delta State Governor

2. The Chief of Army Staff 

3. The Chief of Naval Staff 

4. The Chief of Air Staff 

5. The Inspector General of Police.

6. The Director-General, Department of State Security Service (DSS)

7. The Commissioner of Police, Delta State

×