Ondo oil communities threaten showdown over alleged marginalisation

Oil communities in llaje council area of Ondo state, have threatened a showdown over alleged marginalisation in the award of contracts to local contractors.

The communities under the aegis of indigenes and the Amalgamation of Ilaje Ugbo Coastal Communities Association (AMAICOMMA) alleged that the oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Ltd, marginalisation of the local contractors in the award of contracts

While expressing dissatisfaction over their exclusion in the award of the contract, they asked the oil company to reverse the normal practice of engaging local contractors from the area for the supply of equipment.

In a letter signed by its Chairman and Secretary, Barrister Wole Ogungbeje and Kehinde Omoyele, they threatened a showdown with the oil firm over the alleged refusal to award the contract to local contractors from the area.

Other executive members who jointly signed the statement include, Prince Kehinde Aladetan – Vice Chairman I, Prince Alex O. Ikuesan – Vice Chairman II, Barr. Richard Alomore, Legal Adviser, Mr Dapo Ojajuni REMAS Committee Chairman and Mr Abayomi Ezekiel, the Field Coordinator.

They alleged the oil company of breaching the initial arrangement and practice of including Ilaje indigenes in the supply of equipment, saying the Oil giant has compromised on the practice and issued a 72 hour ultimatum to Chevron to reverse the award of the contract.

They challenged the oil company to come out to disclose the total numbers and identities of the Call Off Contractors shortlisted for the Drilling Operations, warning it not to truncate the peaceful atmosphere being enjoyed in the Ugbo communities by correcting and reversing the alleged injustice.

The AMAICOMMA statement read “Chevron Nigeria Ltd is about to ignite another crisis that is capable of impacting on Oil Production activities in the Ilaje Offshore territory of Ondo State.

“AMAICOMMA Communities of Ugbo Land is the mandate area of Chevron Nigeria Ltd Offshore Operations in Ondo State.

“AMAICOMMA Communities from time immemorial have been continually short-changed by Chevron Nigeria Ltd, while other ethnic groups are usually favoured in terms of allocations of Opportunities and Benefits such Equipment supply, Call off Contracts, Registration of Ilaje AMAICOMMA Contractors and other Opportunities.

“The most recent is the fraud against the collective interest of AMAICOMMA Communities of Ilaje Offshore Operations by Chevron Nigeria Ltd in relation to the Shallow Water drilling (Project Panther) that is about to commence now”

The explained that “As paragraph 3 of our inauguration letter still in force, we unequivocally demand for the reversal of the erroneously and purportedly sent jobs opportunity mail to the yet unregistered Ugbo Trust by PGPA, and channel same jobs opportunities to AMAICOMMA which should include all benefits, opportunities, entitlements and privileges accruable to AMAICOMMA communities from the upcoming Drilling operations.

“It will interest everyone to know that all the equipment for the Panther drilling Project have been hijacked by Chevron top managerial staff in favour of different contractors where they have interest as no single one was given to any Ilaje Contractors despite the fact that some of our local Contractors participated in the Equipment Supply bidding process for the Panther Drilling Project.

Outside the bidding, the usual practice is that the local contractors from Ilaje are supposed to be nominated for supply of equipment. All this process has been compromised by Chevron PGPA for their personal interest.

“We therefore challenge Chevron Nigeria Limited to disclose the total numbers and identities of the Call Off Contractors shortlisted for this Drilling Operations.

“AMAICOMMA Communities of Ugbo hereby strongly demands that their due benefits in terms of Equipment Supply, Call Out Contracts and other Entitlements should be communicated and given to us before mobilization and not more than 72 hours from the date of this press release.

The communities said that “The above is for the information of Mele Kolo Kyari the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum company limited (NNPC limited), NNPC Upstream Investment Services (NIUS), Ondo State government and The director of the State Security Services Ondo State for their possible intervention”