Ijaw youths threaten Chevron over sacked workers
Angry Ijaw youths have, again, threatened to disrupt operations of Chevron Nigeria Limited in Delta State, over the alleged unwarranted sack of three of its workers.
Daily Times learnt that Comrade Okeoghene Timmy Okirika, alongside two others, were relieved of their posts by Chevron about two years ago, in a manner that had sparked wide protests in Ijaw communities.
Estranged youths, under the auspices of Graduates of Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms in the Warri North and Warri South-West Local Government Area of the state, said they would disrupt Chevron operations, if the sacked workers were not reinstated.
The group claimed that Chevron had refused to heed the decision of the National Assembly and the Ministry of Labour, which waded into the matter to have the dismissed employees reinstated.
The angry youths, in a statement, claimed that Chevron had refused all peaceful avenues at resolving the matter, which had lingered on.
The group expressed surprised that “Chevron bluntly refused to reinstate him (Comrade Okirika Timmy Okeoghene) and pay him all his entitlements, as ordered by the National Assembly and Ministry of Labour, after a fair hearing that Chevron participated in.”
They lamented that instead of massively employing graduates from the host communities and enhancing their well-being, Chevron is busy sacking the few in its employ.
“We are writing to inform you that since the peaceful approaches were not appreciated, then we are embarking on a stringent protest to express our grievances,” they declared.
The aggrieved youths, therefore, issued a 7-day ultimatum to the management of Chevron Worldwide to reinstate the sacked workers, failure to which they threatened to disrupt its operations.
“We are giving Chevron management 7-days to urgently reinstate our son Comrade Okirika Timmy Okeoghene and consider other demands in our earlier letters written to Chevron, so as to avert the impending disruption of the company’s operations in our domain. Of course, Chevron knows the implication of the protest, if it is carried out,” it warned.