Wanton And Deliberate Deprivation /Marginalization Against The Host Itsekiri Communities, Particularly Omadino Community In The Chevron Areas Of Operation As It Relates To Employment And Award Of Contracts:

11/10/2024

HIS EXCELLENCY,

PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU GCFR,

COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE ARMED FORCES,

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA.

Your Excellency

Sir,

Wanton And Deliberate Deprivation /Marginalization Against The Host Itsekiri Communities, Particularly Omadino Community In The Chevron Areas Of Operation As It Relates To Employment And Award Of Contracts: Demand For The Appropriate Percentage /Entitlement To Our Host Communities In The Ongoing Employment Exercise By Chevron Nigeria Limited

We, the leadership of Omadino community have opted to adopt this medium to cry out to you and to urge you to use your good office to prevail on Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to desist forthwith from adopting policies aimed, at undermining the interest and wellbeing of her Itsekiri host communities, particularly Omadino community, whose land span Warri North, Warri South and Warri South West LGA of Delta State, and on whose land CNL carries out its oil exploration and exploitation activities.

This petition is informed by the fact that our community has written series of letters to Chevron Nigeria Limited, without any response on the grave marginalization of OMADINO in the areas of Employment and Contracts in Chevron operation.

Your Excellency sir, it may interest you to note that of the total 6 Oil Fields that constitute the operational onshore leases of CNL, of which 2 (Uton Nana and Makaraba fields) are hosted by Omadino community, making her the host community of approximately 40% of CNL's onshore operations.

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.

Your Excellency, sir, we use this opportunity to highlight two of such injustices and unfair treatments that has been meted upon our people by CNL over the years.

1. In the area of employment, CNL has practically relegated our people to the back waters, and have continually adopted strategies that has made it possible for her to employ people from outside the host communities, ie OMADINO COMMUNITY, We have observed over the years that it is Chevron's management policy to surreptitiously smuggle in their preferred candidates on the pretense of equal opportunity, without total regard for qualify and competent hands within our community.

A case in hand is the ongoing recruitment exercise being 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 own God given land.

2. In terms of Contract awards, Chevron Nigeria Limited 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 that can execute any contract in Chevron operations. Again, this also have 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 has 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 same will not be achieved through civilized means. Our people are restive.

OUR DEMAND:

Your Excellency sir, 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's 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 Chevron Nigeria Limited is presently carrying out an employment exercise under a policy that is inimical to the interest of the ITSEKIRI nation host communities, especially OMADINO COMMUNITY.

This issue must be addressed and OMADINO COMMUNITY should be given their due and appropriate percentage/ quota in the ongoing employment to curb the injustice been melted on OMADINO COMMUNITY.

For: OMADINO COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

??:

1. His Excellency,

Rt. Hon. Sherrif Francis Oborevwori,

Governor of Delta State.

2. The Group Chief Executive Officer (GEO)

NNPCL,

NNPC Tower,

Abuja.

3. The Executive Vice President,

(UPSTREAM)

NNPC Tower,

Abuja.

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