FG to shut Chevron operations over disregard of laws, standard procedures
By Temitope Adebayo
The Federal Ministry of Transportation has disclosed its intention to shut down the Chevron Nigeria Limited operations at the Warri jetty within two weeks, following the company’s disregard of extant laws and standard procedures.
The Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, made this known at a meeting between Chevron Nigeria Limited, Bena-Franco, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and the National Inland Waterways (NIWA) at the Ministry in Abuja.
The Ministry pointed out that it has the mandate to guide activities going on in the maritime sector and will act accordingly to protect that at all times.
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To this end, Ajani informed representatives of Chevron that the NPA as the master stevedore has assigned a stevedore company in the last two years to the Warri jetty and has been denied access by Chevron despite all efforts by NPA.
According to her, Chevron has also avoided all meetings by the Federal Ministry of Transportation & National Stevedore Association to resolve this matter. She advised that it will be in their best interest to grant Bena – Franco access to the jetty.
“You have the next two weeks to register this stevedore that has been assigned to you by the Federal Government of Nigeria to oversee what goes on at that jetty”, she said.
The Permanent Secretary, therefore, noted that failure to comply within the next two weeks will leave the Ministry with no option but to shut the company operations at the Warri jetty.
