BEVERLY HILLS, January 05, (THEWILL) – Oil producing and pipeline communities in Warri, Delta state, whose indigenes were recently retrenched by Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), have threatened to stop crude oil supply from their communities to Warri refinery.
This was disclosed in a letter, made available to THEWILL on Tuesday, as the Ijaw communities alleged that while other workers dismissed by the firm were being recalled, the Ijaw people were being discriminated against and marginalized in the process.
They also accused Engr. Solomon Ladenegan Adewale, Acting Managing Director, WRPC, of carrying out the retrenchment and recruitment exercise deliberately to witch hunt the Ijaw workers in the company adding that he should be held responsible if the development becomes a major crisis in the region.
“The Ijaw oil producing and pipeline communities in Warri and its environs are calling on the management especially the Acting Managing Director of the Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company Limited (WRPC), Mr. Adewale Solomon to stop the discrimination and marginalization of Ijaw people in respect of retrenchment and recruitment of staff and contract opportunities,” the letter read.
“The Ijaw communities note that people of Ijaw origin were deliberately and completely sacked in the last retrenchment and omitted in the recall of some sacked staff and new recruitment that is ongoing despite the fact that the Ijaw communities are substantial stakeholders in the affairs of the Warri Refinery.
“The Warri Refinery survives on the crude oil produce in some Ijaw communities and piped again through Ijaw communities to the Warri Refinery for its refining and other purposes. Hence, it is unfair and discriminatory for the management of Warri Refinery to subject Ijaw people to unfair treatments.”
The group, in the protest letter, jointly signed by Mr. Zikorebai Anthony, Co-ordinator, and Comrade Peter Potoki, Secretary, on behalf of the Ijaw oil producing and pipeline communities in Warri and its environs, warned that there would be consequences.
“We wish to warn that if Ijaw people who were sacked like other neighbouring communities workers are not recalled and Ijaws employed in the ongoing recruitment of new workers, crude oil produce in Ijaw communities would no longer be allowed to be piped to the Warri Refinery,” they warned.
“We warn the Acting Managing Director of Warri Refinery, Mr. Adewale Solomon to learn from history and allow the fragile peace in the Niger Delta region and Warri to continue.
“His discriminatory conduct towards the Ijaws is already generating tension in the region and the Federal Government should hold Mr. Adewale Solomon responsible for any fresh crisis in the Niger Delta region especially Warri and its environs.”
THEWILL recalls that WRPC had last year carried out retrenchment of some of its contract staff as part of overhauling which was carried out by the Minister for state Petroleum who doubled as Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu on assumption of duty.
All efforts made by THEWILL to reach Mr Adewale and the WRPC proved abortive.
