NNPC’s recruitment skewed to favour a section, IYC alleges

THE Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) has raised the alarm over an alleged skewed recruitment exercise being carried out by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to favour a section of the country.

“We have been reliably informed by competent sources within the NNPC that the parastatal has shortlisted candidates for its ongoing employment exercise.

“However, to our chagrin, not more than 10 persons from Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states put together are featured in the list, while states in the Northern and Western parts of the country got more than 20 slots each.

“IYC rejects this discriminatory and nepotistic employment. The Ijaw nation that is feeding this country with the mineral deposits found in her lands barely has five slots in the whole list.

“Meanwhile, only one state alone in the North has been shortlisted with not less than 20 persons. Is this the one Nigeria they’re preaching?” IYC queried.

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In a statement signed by Pereotubo Oweilaemi, Esq, IYC President, worldwide, and made available to journalists in Warri on Sunday, the group challenged the NNPC to publish the shortlisted candidates if its claims were not true.

“For the avoidance of doubt, NNPC should immediately publish the list of shortlisted candidates in the dailies for the world to see the truth.

“We have it on good authority that the agency refuses to publish the list because of the disparities associated in the process.

“To perfect its divisive and apartheid employment process, the NNPC has resolved to surreptitiously call the shortlisted candidates for interview in order to cover up its fraudulent and nepotistic agenda just like what other agencies have been doing under this Buhari’s regime.

“It’s either the Agency publishes the list of shortlisted candidates for the world to see its sincerity or we enjoin Nigerians to hold Dr Maikanti Baru and the cabals in the presidency responsible for any crisis in the oil sector.

“The goose that lays the golden egg can no longer be an onlooker in the sharing of the dividends from the black gold which is being taken from our lands at the detriment of the people’s lives.

“Enough is enough. If there is any disparity in the process’ then we call on the GMD to immediately correct it before he publishes the shortlisted list.

“Doing that will in, no doubt, guarantee peace in the oil sector. The oil-producing states cannot take less.

“Rather, special consideration should be given to these environmentally devastated and economically pauperised oil-bearing states.

“That is the only panacea to address this injustice,” the IYC warned.