IYC begs FG to prevail on operators of OML30 to pay owed local contractors

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has appealed to the Federal Government through the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, to prevail on Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd, operators of OML 30 in Delta, to pay local contractors who have executed their projects.

IYC President, Mr Eric Omare, made the plea on Thursday while briefing journalists on the untoward activities of the oil mining company n Warri, Delta State.

He painted the grim picture of aggrieved folks in the Isoko, Urhobo, Itsekiri and Ijaw communities hosting the energy operators who have been subjected to hunger and starvation over non-payment of contracts executed.

Omare said the situation could be attributable to the unceasing restiveness among youths in the Niger Delta region.

“OML 30 is the second the largest OML in the whole of Nigeria, second only to the one that covers Nembe area.

“Instead of the massive activities of OML 30 to be a blessing to the communities, it is becoming a curse.

“We have situations whereby local contractors will do jobs for this company, in some cases because the company does not have the guaranty to secure a loan, some have to secure a loan with their properties.

“But this company does not pay these local contractors for up to two-three years. While they refuse to pay local contractors, they pay their own companies.

“In order words, the company has a board of directors (members) who have subsidiary companies with which they take contracts that ordinarily ought to go to the local contractors.

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“And when it is time to pay jobs, instead of paying the local contractors, they pay themselves.

“The implication is instead of that money to be spent in the local environment here, it is transported outside the Niger Delta region and most cases, out of the country.

“The resultant effect is the overwhelming poverty that we are seeing in the Delta environment and its potential to create militancy in the region.

“In most cases, people resort to militancy because they do not have a means of survival,” he enthused.

Apart from the non-payment of local contractors, the IYC also decried the unemployment rate among youths in the host communities by OML 30.

“We are a youth organisation. When our people are employed, it reduces the pressure on leadership,” he alleged.

Mr Omare, therefore, called on the Federal Government to revoke the operating licence of Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd over alleged incompetence as well as compel it to pay local contractors for jobs executed.

Meanwhile, the General Manager, Community Relations of Heritage Heritage Energy Operational Services Ltd, Mr Sylvester Okoh, when contacted on why the local contractors were not being paid, said “‘fortunately I’m not in the right position to speak on it. Again I don’t have details of what you’re talking about.”

He, however, promised to get back to journalists, who have been calling him on the issue. He is yet to do so as of the time of filing this report. NIGERIA TRIBUNE