Concerned Itsekiri Coastal Dwellers (CICD) has asked Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) to withdraw, in seven days, the letter addressed to the Warri Kingdom Coastal Host Community Development Trust and address it in its favour.
CICD noted the name “Warri Kingdom Coastal Host Community Development Trust”, is not known to them and “has not been registered with the C.A.C.”
Failure to do so, CICD threatened, will attract litigation to seek the interpretation of CNL’s alleged deliberate undermining of the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) vis-a-vis the Local Content Act as it relates to its allocation of employment/job slots to the Warri Kingdom Coastal Community Development Trust.
The letter, which was addressed to the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs (PGPA), Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr. Esimaje Brikinn by G.O.K Ebowe Esq., of GOK Ebowe & Co, Victory Chambers on behalf of CICD, was made available to journalists on Tuesday in Warri, Delta State.
The letter which copied the Executive Commissioner for Community Affairs, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), read in part:
“We have been briefed and our professional services retained by DAVID MODE AKOMA (Chairman of Iye bloc), REXLLY EDE (treasurer of Coastal bloc “A”), AUSTIN EKPOTOR (home base bloc), TUNDE MIKIE (bloc B), JOSEPH UWAWAH (Ugborodo bloc), and DANIEL OMETIE (Ejubelebe bloc), representing the Concerned Itsekiri Coastal Dwellers (CICD) hereinafter referred to as “our clients) and it is based on their clear and unequivocal instructions that our firm cause this letter to be written to you.
“By a letter dated the 5th day of May, 2023, you caused a notification to be sent to our clients of joint venture operation with the above stated captioned, wherein the joint venture will be engaging two (2) rigs for the upcoming offshore drilling campaign in your offshore operational field. Your aforementioned letter stated that a total of twenty four (24) job opportunities are being offered.
“We at this stage advocating that under the PIA your company cannot delve into the modalities of unemployment/job slots so indicated in your letter in issue by addressing the letter to the Warri Kingdom Coastal Host Community Development Trust to present people for the mentioned jobs for employment, thereby sidelining the CICD.
“Our briefing reveals that as at today the Board of Trustees have not register any Host Communities Development Trust as prescribed by section 235(4) & (5) of the PIA, save for the constitution of the Board of Trustees, the Board has not constituted the management committee which in turn constitute the advisory committee. The aforementioned committees are still in limbo contrary to section 236(a) & (b) of the extant law.
“We state categorically that your company have no right to dictate to the communities on how to manage their empowerment as it relates to the issue of employment/jobs slots, because this act gives the communities the prerogative to enjoy their rights as enshrined in the local content law and nothing in this law shall preclude them from their entitlements as clearly spelt out in section 239(4) of this act.
“We state that the PIA only donate to your company the right to manage the funding of three percent (3%) and not to delve into how the communities as represented by CICD should go about the allocation of jobs/employment.
“It is our humble view that reading through Section 239(1) (2) and (3) (a) – (i) of the PIA clearly spells out the objectives of host communities development trust, which by no guise donates any power to your company to invite the Warri Kingdom Coastal Host Community Development Trust, let alone project people for employment.
“It is our briefing that this act of your company is a clear and present danger and if not nipped in the bud it will snowball into knocking the heads of the CICD and the Warri Kingdom Coastal Host Community Development Trust. We believe the PIA and the Local Content Law are clear and distinct.”
Ebowe, who averred that the notification of NNPCL/CNL Joint Venture Offshore drilling campaign and request for nominations was an attempt to circumvent the Local Content Law by imposing the PIA, asked CNL to accede to his clients’ request within seven days to avoid unnecessary litigation.
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