UGA Committee to Chevron: Suspend recruitment exercise, until 32 Itsekiri VTP graduates are engaged as staff

The Employment Committee of Ugborodo Graduates Association, UGA, has appealed to the Management of Chevron Nigeria Limited to immediately suspend ongoing and proposed recruitment exercises, until the thirty-two (32) Itsekiri graduates, who successfully completed Chevron's Vocational Training Programme (VTP) and have faithfully served the company for over thirteen (13) years, are engaged as direct staff. ? ?

The UGA Employment Committee, in a communication addressed to the Management of Chevron Nigeria Limited and made available to Fresh Angle International Thursday July 2, stated that there were widespread reports that some managers, superintendents and supervisors of the oil and gas-major, routinely facilitate the employment of their relatives, associates, and preferred candidates, often placing them on attractive salary grades, while equally or better-qualified host community indigenes are overlooked. ?

The Chairman and Secretary, Employment Committee of Ugborodo Graduates Association, Comr. Anthony Omoruwa and Mr. Jemine Asamilo, respectively, in the letter, averred that the thirty-two Itsekiri VTP graduates, have devoted more than thirteen years to operating some of Chevron's most strategic facilities, including the EGTL Plant, JV operations, Agbami, and other critical installations.

The petition, reads inter-alia: “The Employment Committee of the Ugborodo Graduates Association, acting on behalf of the people of Ugborodo and the entire Itsekiri host communities, respectfully but firmly calls on the Management of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to, as a matter of urgency, suspend all ongoing and proposed recruitment exercises until the thirty-two (32) Itsekiri graduates who successfully completed Chevron's Vocational Training Programme (VTP) and have faithfully served the company for over thirteen (13) years are fully engaged as direct staff. ? ?

“This appeal is not merely about employment. It is about justice, fairness, equity, and the preservation of the longstanding relationship between Chevron and its host communities. ? ?

“For decades, the people of Ugborodo and other Itsekiri host communities, have remained peaceful partners in Chevron's operations, providing the stable environment that has enabled uninterrupted oil and gas production. Our communities have continued to protect critical national assets despite enormous sacrifices.

“Yet, those who have laid the golden eggs continue to be treated as though they are strangers within their own homeland. ? ?It is deeply troubling that while qualified sons and daughters of the host communities remain unemployed or trapped in temporary positions for over a decade, recruitment into Chevron continues at an alarming rate.

“More disturbing are widespread reports that some managers, superintendents, and supervisors routinely facilitate the employment of their relatives, associates, and preferred candidates, often placing them on attractive salary grades, while equally or better-qualified host community indigenes are overlooked. ?

“If these allegations are accurate, they represent not only an injustice, but also a serious violation of the principles of fairness, equal opportunity, and corporate governance that Chevron publicly upholds.

“Such practices undermine confidence in the integrity of the recruitment process and create the unfortunate perception that personal connections have become more valuable than competence, loyalty, and years of dedicated service. ? ?

“Employment opportunities within Chevron's operations continue almost weekly, particularly across the EGTL Plant, JV operations, and other facilities. Unfortunately, qualified Ugborodo and Itsekiri graduates continue to watch from the sidelines while opportunities within their own ancestral land are increasingly occupied by individuals with no connection to the host communities. ? ?

“The case of the thirty-two (32) Itsekiri VTP graduates stands as one of the clearest examples of this injustice. ? These graduates successfully completed Chevron's Vocational Training Programme and have devoted more than thirteen years to operating some of Chevron's most strategic facilities, including the EGTL Plant, JV operations, Agbami, and other critical installations.

“They have consistently demonstrated professionalism, technical competence, and unwavering commitment to Chevron's operational excellence. Many have trained newly recruited contract personnel and even direct staff transferred from other operational locations. ? ?

“Their experience is no longer theoretical it has been proven through over a decade of dedicated service. ? ?It is therefore difficult to understand why these professionals continue to face repeated recruitment exercises after already proving themselves through years of exemplary performance. ? ?Previous VTP batches (VTP 1, 2, 3, and 4) were absorbed as direct staff without being subjected to multiple recruitment assessments.

“Yet these thirty-two graduates have now endured repeated recruitment processes, with reports indicating that some have been invited for a fourth round of assessments after successfully completing three previous exercises. ? ?

“This is unprecedented, unnecessary, and fundamentally unfair. ? ?After thirteen years of service, no VTP graduate should still be struggling to prove his or her competence. Their performance over the years is the strongest assessment any employer could ever require. ? ?

“Equally disturbing is the reported request for the credentials of only two (2) out of the fourteen (14) Itsekiri VTP graduates working at the EGTL Plant, despite the collective contribution of all fourteen individuals to the successful operation of the facility for over a decade. Such selective treatment understandably raises serious concerns about transparency and fairness. ? ?We wish to state clearly that we are not opposed to Chevron employing qualified Nigerians from every part of the country. Nigeria belongs to us all. ? ?

“However, justice equally demands that the host communities whose land, environment, and resources, sustain these operations must not become perpetual spectators, while others continually benefit from opportunities generated from their own homeland. ? ?

“Host Community status must carry practical meaning beyond ceremonial acknowledgements. It should be reflected in equitable employment, career advancement, and meaningful participation in the economic benefits arising from operations within our communities. ? ?

“Chevron's continued failure to implement understandings reached during several engagements with community leaders, including the meeting of 1st June 2026 at the Palace of the Olu of Warri, continues to erode trust that has taken decades to build. ? ?

“Accordingly, we respectfully but firmly demand the following: ? ?Immediate suspension of all ongoing and future recruitment exercises until the thirty-two (32) Itsekiri VTP graduates are engaged as direct staff. ? ?

“Immediate implementation of the Right of First Refusal in favour of these thirty-two graduates before any external recruitment is conducted. ? ?A transparent review of Chevron's recruitment processes to eliminate every form of favouritism, nepotism, or practices that disadvantage qualified host community indigenes. ?

“Full compliance with commitments previously made to Ugborodo and the Itsekiri host communities regarding employment opportunities. ? ?A sustainable employment framework that guarantees fair and equitable opportunities for qualified host community graduates. ? ?

“We respectfully call upon His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff F. O. Oborevwori, Executive Governor of Delta State; the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment; the Ugborodo National Youth and Employment Committee; the Ugborodo Management Committee; the Eghare-Aja of Ugborodo; His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, CFR, the Olu of Warri; and all relevant government agencies and stakeholders to urgently intervene and ensure that justice prevails. ? ?

“The Ugborodo and Itsekiri people have consistently demonstrated maturity, restraint, and an unwavering commitment to peaceful engagement. Our patience has been guided by our belief in constructive dialogue and mutual respect. ? ?

“However, patience should never be mistaken for acceptance of injustice. ? ?No responsible host community can remain silent indefinitely while its qualified sons and daughters are continuously marginalised in favour of others, particularly within operations conducted on their ancestral land. ? ?Chevron Nigeria Limited has built a global reputation as a responsible corporate citizen. We therefore believe this situation does not reflect the values the company represents worldwide. ? ?

“This is an opportunity for Chevron to reaffirm its commitment to fairness, equity, inclusion, and responsible community relations by correcting this longstanding injustice before it breeds avoidable industrial and community tensions. ? ?The time to act is now. ? ?Justice delayed for thirteen years has already become justice denied. ? ?

“Let Chevron do what is right by immediately engaging the thirty-two (32) Itsekiri VTP graduates as direct staff and by ensuring that qualified host community indigenes receive the fair employment opportunities they have long earned through loyalty, competence, sacrifice, and peaceful coexistence.”?

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