IJAW GROUP BERATES SHELL OVER ALLEGED MARGINALISATION

BY DAPO AKINREFON
Ijaw Peoples Congress, IPC, has alleged plans by Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC, to marginalise indigenous marine contractors. The group also called on the Minister of Petroleum Resources to investigate the matter.

In a statement by its National President, Mr Ekanpou Enewaridideke, the group called on the National Assembly to investigate the policy of Shell against indigenous marine contractors. It said: 'There is a systematic move to deny indigenous Nigerian contractors full participation in the marine industry in Shell through unfavourable policies.'

Efforts to get reaction from Shell management proved abortive.

Enewaridideke, accused Shell of planning to engage the services of expatriates in vessel inspection and accreditation. He said: 'Indigenous Nigerian vessels are often whimsically pronounced unqualified by the expatriates as a ploy to give contracts to foreign firms and thereby render Nigerians jobless.

'The Minister of Petroleum Resources should call Shell to order over its ploy to deny Nigerian professionals promotion even after putting in over 15 years based on the sterile excuse that Nigerians do not have UK-issued certificates. There should be an end to the contraction of terminal vessel to foreign firms, control and domination of the compliance team in Shell by white men and the plan to bring more white men to control the oil terminals.

'We would like the Petroleum Minister to call Shell to order over its ongoing compilation of calculated negative reports against some targeted Nigerian workers in the marine department in order to facilitate their sack in preference for expatriates and the current vindictiveness of the two foreign staff in Shell's marine department should stop now.'