Palpable tension is brewing in Ugbo communities of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo state following the alleged shortchanging of the indigenes of the communities by the oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Ltd, in the award of contract for the communities.

The Indigenes of the communities under the auspices of the Amalgamation of Ilaje Ugbo Coastal Communities Association (AMAICOMMA) expressed dissatisfaction over their exclusion in the award of the Shallow Water Drilling (Project Panther) contract.

The members of the association have been threatening to showdown with Chevron unless the oil giant reverses to the normal practice of engaging local contractors from the area for the supply of equipment.

The AMAICOMMA in a letter signed by its Executive body which includes its Chairman and Secretary, Barrister Wole Ogungbeje and Kehinde Omoyele respectively, are threatening a showdown with the oil firm over the alleged refusal to award the contract to local contractors from the area.

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

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

The AMAICOMMA statement read that: “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 as 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”

They explained that “As paragraph 3 of our inauguration letter still in force, we unequivocally demand 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 has been hijacked by Chevron’s top managerial staff in favour of different contractors where they have an 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 the 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 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” (Nigerian Tribune)

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