Ben Dunno, Warri
Irked by prolonged casualization of its members and the insensitivity of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) management towards their welfare, youths under the auspices of National Association of Itsekiri Graduates (NAIG), have vowed to shut down its activities after the expiration of its 28-days ultimatum to the company.
Specifically, the body affirmed determination to halt both operational and administrative activities of the company in three (3) Warri Council areas, comprising; Warri South, North and South West, if it continue with the hard stand posture to calls for the “reclassification of graduates in its VTP5/OTP2 and VTP6” schemes.
Addressing newsmen in Warri on Monday, NAIG President, Comrade Ben Eyitemi Eburajolor, demanded that the 146 members of NAIG in VTP5/OTP2 and VTP6 programmes, should be engaged as staff of Chevron Nigeria Limited or else they will take their destinies in their own hands and shutdown the company’s operation in Itsekiri land.
Eburajolor, stated that the affected Itsekiri graduate trainees, were promised employment and asked to resign their former jobs by Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, saying they have been found competent in their various locations and non has violated any of the company’s laid down rules, regulations or safety procedures.
According to him, the time difference between the VTP4, who were reclassified January 1st, 2015 and VTP5/OTP2, was just 6months and all the OTP2 were deplored to field, before the VTP4 to assist in the then acute personnel shortage in various offshore locations.
“On the Job Learning (OJL) has since been completed by both VTP5/OTP2 and VTP6
“Crude oil price that they claimed was the reason for not reclassifying then, has since risen and stable to above $70/pbl. Meanwhile, VTP4 was reclassified with a price below $40/pbl.
“His Majesty, the Olu of Warri Ogiame Ikenwoli of blessed memory, intervened on behalf of them (Chevron) in 2017 and the management of CNL promised to do the needful the following year, which was 2018, but till now, nothing has been done or heard from them”, Eburajolor emphasized.
While claiming that an official of Chevron (name withheld) who is the present Joint Venture Director (JVD) of Chevron Nigeria Limited, has vowed that over his dead body, will the 146 Itsekiris be reclassified, NAIG accused some Itsekiri leaders of: “Aiding and abetting CNL to use and dump our VTP5/OTP2 & VTP6 brothers and sisters, because of their selfish gains. As an association, we say no to saboteurs”.
“It should be noted that their reclassification should be backdated to January 2016 and January 2017 for VTP5/OTP2 and VTP6 respectively; Resume Operation and Maintenance (O & M) training with employment immediately as enshrined in our Memorandum of Understanding (MoU); Community development in oil producing areas should resumed immediately and All Itsekiri host community to CNL should be given electricity and portable drinking water”. NAIG
demanded.
The Management of Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL through the Company’s General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, PGPA, Esimaje Brikinn, had on June 27, 2017 in a press statement, stated that; “It’s effort to sponsor eligible trainees for Operations & Maintenance Vocational Training Program (VTP) was in accordance with its goal to help build skills and capacities of the trainees to become more competitive in Nigeria economy”,