Another Niger Delta community gives Chevron 7-day ultimatum

Another host community to Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, Benikrukru , Gbaramatu Kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area in Delta State, Wednesday, gave the company a seven-day ultimatum to address the marginalization of the community in the areas of contracts, employment and corporate social responsibility, CSR.

“In the light of the foregoing, the Chevron Nigeria limited and government is hereby given a seven- day ultimatum to address these grievances or the Benikrukru community would have no other option than to shut down the operations of Chevron Nigeria Limited in the Abiteye field,” the chairman of the community, Mr. Victor Eseimieghan said in statement signed with “Chevron Nigeria Limited has been flagrantly violating the local content requirements in the area of contracts in their dealings with Benikrukru community over the years. “Contracts due to the communities in line with the local content law are given to contractors fronting for insiders within Chevron at the expense of the community.
For now contracts such as water injection plant treatment; well- head servicing; well head repairs; leak repairs; fumigation and other associated contracts, which ought to be done by community contractors are been done by two companies, Inhouse Group and Pelfaco Nigeria Limited.
“These companies are not owned by Benikrukru indigenous contractors, but by people from outside community, who are fronting for insiders in Chevron Nigeria Limited,” the community claimed.
The community added: “Also in the area of employment, Chevron has also stopped the yearly aptitude test through which they used to employ a few qualified persons from the community for the past 10 years. They employ now without the knowledge and interest of the Benikrukru community.”
“Even the few persons that were employed from the community in recent times are all casual workers. Chevron has also completely abandoned its corporate social responsibility to the community by the failure to carry out any developmental project in the Benikrukru community for several years. Chevron has bluntly refused to have any dealing with the leadership of the community with a view to resolve these issues,” it said.