In the Nigerian Oil and Gas Content Act of 2010, it was specifically stated that there is no way the authority should by any means bring expatriates where local capacity exists. The regulator of the Act is Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), and it focuses on issues regarding the oil industry.
Unfortunately recent happenings in the oil and gas industry show that sharp practices, slavery and circumvention of the country’s local content act is far from over. There are sycophants conniving with some unscrupulous elements in government agencies.
One of the oil and gas companies in Nigeria, Sterling Oil E&P produces about 80,000 barrels of oil and has operations spread across the Niger Delta.
Sterling Oil may not be too known in Nigeria’s exploration space, but it has been accused by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) of sharp practices in the industry.
Former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige and former Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote, were also alleged to be accomplice of Sterling’s unwholesome practices in the oil sector and Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) has fixed a meeting were the issues will be addressed with stakeholders.
Speaking with journalists in an interview, President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo, said the 10,000 Indians working with Sterling Oil and Gas Company must leave the country to pave way for Nigerians in accordance with Nigerian Content Act.
Excerpts:
Are these companies not being approved by the government?
What they do is that they registered about a hundred companies or even more by going to Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to register two hundred companies and be using them to bring the Indians. They will not bring all of them in the name of Sterling. For instance, they will have AB & Sons, COI & Daughters, NT & Covins and use them to bring these expatriates. They are doing it in conjunction with some institutions which we don’t know.
Clearly, they once told us that they have Nigeria institutions in their pockets. This is not a makeup but what they have said. They use these various means to bring these people in the country. Imagine today, you registered two hundred companies and in each of these companies, they bring let’s say twenty or thirty Indians into the country. They don’t use one company and when they come in; they will crystallize and find themselves in Sterling location. This is how they circumvent the system.
PENGASSAN has told the former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Wabote, up till today, he did not act on it before he left office. There are sycophants conniving with them in government agencies.
What you have just said now, is the Minister of Labour aware that these Indians have Nigeria institutions in their pockets?
Yes of course, I have quoted what they said to us that they have Nigeria institutions in their pockets but we don’t how true it is. But to know whether it is true or not is the actions these institutions will take. Before today, Nigeria institutions have feigned ignorance that they did not know what is happening in Sterling. We are calling the attention of the entire country to it now and it will not end here in all the conversations and meetings we will be having, we shall remain resolute on this.
We have had these conversations before with the former Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, we don’t mince words in trade unionism. They had accomplice in the former Minister of Labour that whatever is being taken there, they always have their ways. We would have had this fight long ago but because they have accomplice in the immediate past Minister of Labour, whenever they send anything to them they will be supported. When we were to form manpower in Sterling, they sacked the Nigerians working there. They went to labour and the former Director of Trade Union Services took a proposal to them that in the law, it is very clear that the right to unionise is a fundamental right. These people should be allowed to unionise and the memo was sent to the former Minister and he killed it. He ensured that the woman left the Ministry of Labour.
There are accomplices in the former Minister of Labour, we said it clearly and we can defend it anywhere because we are privy to some of these memos. They have accomplice with Ngige and anything brought to his office is often approved.
Although, we still have faith with this new Minister of Labour and believe that he will do what is right and come to the rescue of Nigerians that under his tenure 10,000 Indians were sent away from the country due to violations of labour related issues. We don’t know what is happening in the Ministry of Labour but we believe that both Ministers will do what is right including the Director of Trade Union Services. If they refuse to do what is right, we will call them to order.
What is the production capacity of this company to employ 10,000 Indians working for them and what is your impression about NUPRC?
As at today Sterling produces about 80,000 barrel of oil and has operations spread across the nukes and crannies of the Niger Delta. They produce both oil and gas. The reasons the Indians are a lot is because of the jobs that they are doing. Today in an average location about two hundred people will man it on rotation basis to do maintenance and to carry out panel operations. These are jobs done by Nigerians but today, Indians are the ones doing it. A situation where Indians are vulcanizers, welders, gatemen, gardeners among others, this is not palatable at all. We are not exaggerating. A journalist like you confirm to me that what we said, he checked and realized that the full communication team in Sterling is Indians.
What is difficult or technical in communications that Nigerians cannot do? Are you journalists not communication experts, can’t you work there? Radio room operators are Indians, cooks that even prepare Nigerian meals are Indians, this is why the number is bloated up.
In traditional oil and gas companies, menial jobs are done by Nigerians but in Sterling, it is Indians that are doing it.
Concerning NUPRC, I said earlier that the Chief Executive of NUPRC contacted us and wants to fix a meeting but we told him clearly, that we are not going to meet Sterling anywhere until all parties resolved the issues amicably. It is not cosmetic, the issues must be addressed. A meeting has been called and we shall be there to hear what they will say and if they compromise, we will not agree to it.
After this rally and PENGASSAN calls for national strike and there is no head way, what will happen next?
There must be a way out and we know how to call them to order. If we don’t get solution with government agencies, the Indians that are management of this company have already told us that they have comprised the system. We have to also know if it is true by the action these people will take. How can anybody in this world defend to us when we go to that meeting next week that the panel operators are Indians and it is okay therefore we should allow them to stay? When they are defending them, we will know there is a problem. We want to go that meeting and see how any government official will defend these people. Secondly, the same people that said they have comprised everybody, we have a way of calling them to order because we know that they will not comprise us. For us we know that they can go to industrial court and procure injunction. This is Nigeria and we understand what happens.
All we care about as trade unions is that we have the right to protest and strike is ours and we will exercise it to the fullest.
In the Nigerian Oil and Gas Development Content Act of 2010, it is specific that there is no way authority should by any means bring in expatriates where local capacity exists. The regulator of the Act is NCDMB and it looks at these issues you have mentioned. Will the Board be part of the meeting that will be held next week so that they will be held accountable?
Thank you so much and I like that knowledge base that you just deposited. What you have said is apt and correct and shows that you have carried out sufficient research. I said earlier that we have engaged up to the immediate past Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Simbi Wabote on this subject. We have written letters and all the communications that we do, the regulators are copied. The chief regulator of the industry is NUPRC, it has called for a meeting and it is expected that all stakeholders will be brought and invited to that meeting in Abuja. The partners, stakeholders and regulators will be present at this meeting. They should tell us how we got to this point.
In one of the placards, it was stated that this company has been given permission to drill two oil wells. Can you confirm it?
I can confirm to you categorically that beyond the labour laws, trade union and NCDMB acts that these people are violating. They also circumvent the system whereby we were reported to by our members in NUPRC that they have come for inspection where they receive documents that permission was granted to drill two oil wells, but they end up drilling five wells. I can confirm that to you authoritatively. Solidarity!! Solidarity forever!!!
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