Niger Delta Group Vows To Tackle NNPC Over Retrenchment Of 400 Casual Workers

The Delta State Peace Movement, (DSPM), has vowed to tackle management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its subsidiaries, over alleged sack of 400 casual workers of Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, in a bid to allegedly replace them with the 1,000 newly recruited graduate trainees.

Recall that NNPC had in a statement issued by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, noted that the assumption of duty of the graduate trainees marks the successful completion of the 2019/2020 recruitment exercise.

But in a statement made available to newsmen on Tuesday, the Delta State Peace Movement reiterated that: “The latest turn of events have drawn the ire of not just community and prominent political leaders, who have made inestimable efforts and embarked on several journeys in recent months to the Nation’s capital, Abuja, where the matter is still pending before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, with a view to finding amicable resolution to the issues, but also, of the traditional rulers, the Olu of Warri and Ovie of Uvwie kingdoms.”

The statement signed by Chairman and Secretary of DSPM, Chief Moses Akpojovwe and Comrade Oritsegbemi Awaori, respectively, stressed: “Added to this highly volatile mix is the question of regard (or lack thereof) to the rule of law and respect for constituted authority by both the NNPC and its subsidiary, the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, WRPC, given the way and manner the NNPC/WRPC have conducted themselves so far.”

“Otherwise, how can one explain the flagrant disregard for a subsisting order of the House Committee given during the hearing of Dec 13th 2019, which expressly directed that the status quo (with respect to downsizing or continuation of the recruitment process) be maintained, by going ahead to sack the bulk of WRPC’s Casual Staff and announcing the resumption of new intakes.”

“The action of the NNPC/WRPC leaves much to be desired given that it had, at a previous hearing, which it failed to attend, written to ask for a rescheduling of proceedings to the 29th of April to enable it come up with appropriate response.”

“The NNPC never waited for the 29th April scheduled date before moving to undercut the whole ongoing process at the National Assembly, embarrassing the institution of the Legislature. The timing of the NNPC/WRPC action in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic, and at the onset of the nationwide lockdown occasioned by the health crisis, is also curious to say the least.”

“It brings to question whether the decision makers at the Nation’s apex oil firm actually have any modicum of human face in the conduct of their business. As a testament to the cruelty of the NNPC/WRPC action, within days after over 400 casual staff were sacked, a Casual Staff Operator, who was by now forced to do the extra job meant for more persons and all alone in remote location, slumped and died on the field before he could call for help.”

“Less than a week later, another Casual Staff of maintenance department who was also sacked, gave in to the trauma and died from the ensuing complications.”

“Indeed, there is no doubt that we are in economic trying times, both at national as well as on the global stage, particularly with increasing instability in the oil markets, further exacerbated by the coronavirus emergency”, DSPM emphasized.

While warning that, dark days seem inevitably ahead as the struggle by the casual staff of the company (majority of whom are indigenes of the host communities) for conversion to permanent staff, appears to be reaching an unsavory climax, the group averred that the over 400 support staff purportedly fired by WRPC, are graduates with Masters Degrees in relevant fields.