Youths Task SEPLAT Energy On Local Content Practices

Aggrieved youths from the 5 oil-rich communities hosting the Seplat Energy airstrip successful Eket section authorities country of Akwa Ibom State person staged a peaceful protest, accusing the lipid and state steadfast of unfair and discriminatory section contented practices.

LEADERSHIP Weekend gathered that the aggravated youths, including graduates, resorted to nationalist ventilation of emotions implicit alleged exclusion of those they described arsenic “qualified section graduates from caller recruitment exercises.”

The demonstrators, led by antithetic younker presidents, were drawn from Ukwa, Okopedi, Afaha Ukwa, Iko Ekwa and Afaha Ukwa Obokidim, large big communities to SEPLAT Energy Nigeria Unlimited (SEPNU).

They expressed dismay implicit SEPLAT Energy’s alleged hiring of 70 caller employees without immoderate slots for the indigenous big assemblage workers.

“Despite the company’s ongoing operations successful the area, the communities person been near retired of occupation opportunities, taking our peaceful disposition for granted,” the youths said.

The younker presidents of the 5 colony associations making up the conjugation were led by Iwaad Bassey Sunday James and Prince Godwin Nkuh, equipped with placards of varying inscriptions and chanting solidarity songs.

They demanded “the enforcement of Nigeria’s Local Content Act arsenic enshrined successful the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA),” which, according to them, “mandates lipid and state companies operating successful the state to prioritise section manpower and declaration opportunities.”

One of the protesters from Esit Eket LGA, Edigheyong Sam Edet, told our analogous astatine the play that the peaceful protestation could person been escalated but for the speedy involution of the Eket LGA chairman, Rt. Hon. Akaninyene Tommey.

“The attraction of the section authorities was drawn to the protestation that it mightiness beryllium hijacked by hoodlums which necessitated the punctual involution of the president of Eket LGA, and the information agencies including  Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Eket Division, officials from the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and representatives of the Government Joint Labour Committee,” helium recalled.

Chairman Tommey, who calmed the frayed nerves of the protesters, assured that their demands would beryllium conveyed to the close quarters for the close answers that would beryllium beneficial to each concerned.

The manager successful complaint of Government and Public Affairs, Mr Ogechukwu Udeagha, had 2 weeks agone during a maiden interface with the Akwa Ibom media community, assured that SEPNU’s introduction into the authorities for lipid and state concern would beryllium rancour-free arsenic everything nether the caller statement would beryllium done betwixt the steadfast and the big communities successful enactment with planetary champion practices.

He assured that mutually beneficial engagements of the radical wrong the operational areas would person seamless synergy successful processing the country done the Host Communities Trust Funds.