Warri- Ijaw speaking youths who have been trained by the Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) has appealed to the Chevron top management to engage them as staff to enable them benefit as host communities in various positions in the the company.
The Ijaw youths from Kokodiagbene, Opuama, Makaraba, Benekrukru, Okoitoru and Tsekelewu (Kombot) Employment Movement made the call through its National President, Yabrade Moses Warebi and National Secretary Victor Asoki made in a press statement which a copy was sent to Daily Watch through an electronic message, said ‘‘ Concerted efforts were made peacefully with CNL by the three Regional Development Councils (RDCs) of Ijaws, Ilajes and Itsekiri including the graduate bodies to address this abnormalities and injustice being meted out to this group over the years. We had towed line of dialogues with several meeting held between Management of CNL and host communities representatives, but all these had met a brick wall. Security agents, representatives of governors of Delta and Ondo states were well informed of this development and participated in ensuring peace resolution of the issue at hand. This is to inform the public and CNL in particular to address this issue with all urgency. CNL needs to act because our patience as indigenes of host communities is fast running out.
‘‘The VTP5/OTP2 Operation and Maintenance technician trainees are the fifth set to apply for Chevron Training Program in 2007. They were called for aptitude test, later skilled test (COBRA) and thereafter did interview in 2008. One hundred and one graduates resumed training at Ogere Training centre, Ogun state in March 2013 after much pressure from host communities. The training program regulation is for 18 months before their conversion to CNL staff. Almost five years down the line, they are still yet to be converted to CNL staff even after completing their classroom training and the on-the-job learning.
‘‘Recall the purpose of CNL establishing the Ogere training Program, was to address the imbalance/shortage of indigenous (host Communities) employment into the company (CNL), hence the need to establish this program, to train and recruit host Community graduates as staffs of the CNL company. However, CNL is gradually derailing from her well thought out plans and intentions in recent years, when in 2008 they refused to train over 30 Egbema and Gbaramatu graduates that passed their tests and interviews up to medical stage. CNL has now refused to convert the 2013 batches, whereby creating a negative impression of deliberate witch hunting of host Community graduates.’’ The said
The group accused CNL of gradually deviating from her most valuable corporate social responsibility to host communities and the nation in general. Training and employment of eligible graduates from host communities is contained in the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) signed with host communities.
They said several peaceful engagements have been extended to CNL, yet the company has done nothing about the situation. Series of confrontation and protest that led to huge lose on our path was carried out before a communication venture was opened up for discussion between KOMBOT, Egbema Gbaramatu Community Development Front (EGCDF) and the Management of CNL.
The statement continued ‘‘The Company promised to do the conversion without giving a specific date. Entering October 2017, there was meeting between CNL and RDC with Egbema and Gbaramatu Kings duly represented. The conversion case of VTP5/OTP2 was discussed and CNL promised to give feedback on the pending conversion but CNL is yet to keep to her promise.
It is obvious that peaceful dialogue and communication is not producing results and CNL does not appreciate this gesture.
‘‘We want to use this medium to warn CNL to go back to her original purpose of establishing the Ogere Training Program which is to meet the manpower shortage/imbalance of indigenous host communities’ graduates in the company by immediately converting the VTP5/OTP2 indigenous trainees to permanent staff, as this is the only gesture that will prove to us that CNL is indeed committed to the progress and human capital development of the Niger Delta Region. We want to remain peaceful, hence we urge CNL to immediately convert the trained VTP5/OTP2 graduates to permanent staffs. “A stitch in time saves nine” it concluded
