By Augustine Okezie
Chevron Nigeria Ltd, has threatened to shut down operations in Delta and Ondo states, following persistent attacks by Ilaje youths.
The youths accused the American oil giants of marginalization in the provision of employments to the youths and provision of other social amenities to their communities.
Speaking under the aegis of the National Association of Ilaje Graduates (NAIG), they rejected the slots allotted to them through the Ogere Vocational Training Programme, stating that the entire 35 persons who participated in the interview should be admitted into the training.
Graduates from Ijaw and Itsekiri communities had also rejected their slots, alleging sundry misgivings against the oil firms.
President and Secretary of NAIG, Ikuesan Ademola and Temidunmi Adeyemi Akins respectively, in Warri, stated that Illaje people would not accept the 12 slots allotted to them and vowed to close down Chevron operations in their area if their demands were not met.
They stated that the 12 slots out of the 35 persons that went for the interview were inadequate and unaccepted, calling on the leadership of the Ilaje Regional Development Commission (IRDC) to swing into action to address the injustice and underdevelopment of Illaje people of Ondo and Delta states.
They said: “We the entire Ilaje graduates and Ilaje Youth Congress are using this opportunity to inform the General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs of Chevron Nigeria Ltd to invite the entire Ilaje graduates that attended the interview to resume at the VTP6 programme in Ogere, Ogun State for the sake of peace.
“Chevron Nigeria Ltd (CNL) should call all the graduates that participated in the interview from the three ethnic graduates’ bodies – Itsekiri, Ijaw and the Ilaje. If not, there is going to be a great problem, CNL should wait for us, we are coming. A word is enough for the wise”.
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