The National Association of Itsekiri Graduates Worldwide, on Monday, August 16 issued a 28-day ultimatum to Chevron Nigeria Limited over alleged gross marginaliation of Itsekiri sons and daughters working as casual staff of Chevron Nigeria Limited.
The group handed down the ultimatum during a press briefing held in Warri, Delta State, and stated that if Chevron at expiration of the ultimatum, fails to commence or put to action their demands, they will be forced to shut down the operations of the oil giant the Itsekiri host communities.
President of the National Association of Itsekiri Graduates, Mr Ben Eburajolo, who read the statement jointly signed by him and the Secretary of the association, Mr Esiategiwa Mini; said they have watched in silence the “gross marginalization of our brothers and sisters far too long and we definitely cannot keep silent anymore.”
The Itsekiri graduates, therefore demanded among others things that Chevron should resume Operation and Maintenance (O&M) training with employment as enshrined in their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
They also demanded that “community development in Oil Producing Areas should resume back immediately, and that all Itsekiri Host Communities to CNL should be given light and portable drinking water.”
They further stated that the plights of their brothers and sisters in Chevron’s Vocational Training Programme and Operational Training Programme calls for urgent attention.
“They were promised employment and asked to resign their former jobs by Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Management. Hence, the reason they left their high paying jobs to pass through the O&M training at Ogere.
“Most frequently, the Management of Chevron assign much task to them than the CNL employees who receive higher Salaries than them.
“They are the least ranked and underpaid among CNL labor contract personnel,” the association stated.
The student group also 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.”
They lamented that in spite of several negotiations with Chevron and the intervention of their Revered Monarch, Ogiame Ikenwoli, the late Olu of Warri, on behalf of the graduates in 2017, CNL Management has refused to keep its part of the MoU.