EMPLOYMENT OF WELDERS, FITTERS: PREVAIL ON CONTRACTORS TO AVOID CRISIS, COMMUNITIES TELL CHEVRON

By Our Correspondent,

Members of the Gbaramatu/Egbema Host Communities Welders and Fitters (Escravos) have implored Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to prevail on its contractors to obey the Nigerian Local Content Law by engaging more local unemployed professionals in order to avoid crippling of its Escravos Tank Farm, flow stations and Offshore fields.

In a letter dated May 13, 2015 to the Warri Area Manager of CNL and signed by Mr. Timiyan George (Chairman), Mamukemi Ojo (Secretary) and Eyenmi Siko (P.R.O.), they decried the low level of patronage of qualified welders and fitters by CNL serving companies of Oil Industrial Services (OIS), Idmon Engineering and Construction, Midis Energy Services and Dormanlong Engineering Limited and others.

They warned that unless something urgent was done, angry unemployed professional welders and fitters in Escravos Tank Farm, Abiteye, Makarada, Alero, Dibi, Utonana, Opuekeba and the offshore fields would react negatively by crippling Chevron operations in the days ahead.

They wrote thus; “From the information reaching us, the total number of welders and fitters working in these fields are far more than one hundred and twenty (120) welders and fitters but they only asked for one or two persons from us. We have not less than five hundred (500) welders and fitters in Gbaramatu and Egbema communities and over 3,000 (three thousand) Ijaw welders and fitters in Delta State (Izon-Ibe). As a result, the Local Content Law is being abused and it is unlawful.”

“We humbly request the intervention of the management of Chevron Nigeria Limited especially the PGPA in this issue. Also we want to use this medium to inform the concern Local Government Chairmen, Delta State Government and the Security Agencies of the situation at hand. The angry unemployed professionals of these communities could react negatively, this is why we are informing and calling for immediate positive response before things get out of hand,” they added.

According to them also; “The slots being given to the communities are too low; we want a ratio of sixty percent to communities and the companies forty percent and this is why we are imploring Chevron to prevail on the companies- Oil Industrial Services (OIS), Idmon Engineering and Construction, Midis Energy Services and Dormanlong Engineering Limited and others to employ more of our unemployed angry youths. We also want government at all levels to intervene in the matter for peace to reign because at the moment, we are not being carried along and our angry professional welders and fitters are planning for a total show down with those making life unbearable for them in their own land.”

They copied the Delta State Government, Asaba; The Commandant, State Security Agency, Asaba; The Area Commander JTF, Warri; The Area Commander Naval Base, Warri; The Chairman, Warri South-West Local Government Council; The Chairman, Warri North Local Government Council; The Chairman, Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation, (EGCDF), Ijaw RDC; The P.G.P.A. Superintendent, Chevron Nig. Ltd.; Warri; The P.G.P.A. Superintendent, Chevron Nig. Ltd.; Escravos; Construction Superintendent, Chevron Nig. Ltd., Warri and The Security Adviser, Abiteye.