Ugborodo protest: Chevron’s defence puerile, mischievous ― Eyengho

THE Ugborodo people have described, as puerile and mischievous, the defence put up by Chevron Nigeria Ltd (CNL) over the ongoing protest by the Ugborodo community due to what it described as Chevron’s inhumanity to Ugborodoland and its people for decades running.

The civil action, which the Ugborodo people described as the “mother of all protests against Chevron,” commenced last Sunday, May 5, 2019, around the perimeter fence of Chevron’s operational headquarters, Ugborodo, Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State.

However, a press release dated May 6, 2019, and signed by the General Manager (Policy, Government and Public Affairs), Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Mr Esimaje Brikinns, confirmed the ongoing protest but described, as untrue, the allegations of Ugborodo people.

The release maintained that Chevron has been discharging its responsibilities to Ugborodo community responsibly and equitably with a human face over the decades.

In a response to Mr Brikinns on behalf of Ugborodo Community, the Director of Strategic Communication of the protest and executive member of the Ugborodo Community Management Committee (UCMC), Comrade Alex Eyengho, stated that the reaction of Chevron that the peaceful protest by Ugborodo people was based on lies meant Chevron was not prepared for dialogue.

“I must say manifestly clear that beyond the rhetoric, grandstanding, abrasiveness and sanctimonious posturing of our own brother, Mr Esimaje Brikinns, Chevron’s defence to our peaceful protest is puerile and mischievous, to say the least.

“Everything said by him on behalf of Chevron is all blatant lies. Chevron Nigeria Ltd has no good relationship whatsoever with Ugborodo Community.

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“I must also state very clearly that contrary to Mr Brikinns’ postulations and erroneous but usual divisive statements with the intent of setting up Ugborodo people against one another, there is no power tussle of any sort in Ugborodo Community.

“UCMC was set up in 2017 in collaboration between Ugborodo Community, the Olu of Warri and the Delta State Government to the knowledge of Chevron which is obviously playing pranks with the committee (UCMC),” Comrade Eyengho alleged.

Comrade Eyengho further disclosed that the Chevron’s Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) only covers 23 oil producing communities of Itsekiri extraction and Ugborodo community hosts to Chevron’s operations.

“The annual budget of Chevron for these 23 communities is N400, 000, 000, 00 at slightly over N17.5 million per community per year.

“For Ugborodo Community, it is N17.5 million divided by the five sub-communities (Ode-Ugborodo, Ogidigben, Ajudaibo, Madangho and Ijaghala) that make up Ugborodo Community, which comes to about N3.6 million per community per year!

“What can N3.6 million a year do for a whole community in one year? Mr Brikinns also claimed that Chevron’s baby, the Itsekiri Regional Development Council (IRDC), built 60 houses for the 23 GMoU/IRDC communities in 11 years.

“For Ugborodo, this amounts to one house in each of the five Ugborodo Communities in 11 years!

“I must also put on record that a reasonable number of Community workers are working on the conditions of slavery. Contracts are given only to few people they (key Chevron staff) to deal with.

“I urge Brikinns to name Ugborodo contractors that Chevron has given jobs. Chevron gives out 100 of what it calls scholarships per year to the five Ugborodo communities: 60 secondary school students per year at N20, 000 per year and 40 university undergraduates per year at N60, 000 per year. What a ridiculous amount!

“In any case, how many of the scholarship recipients are in the employment of Chevron?

“Suffice it to say at this point that one is extremely taken aback that Brikinns is complaining about a peaceful protest by the good people of Ugborodo Community and other Itsekiri people who are sympathetic to the horrible Ugborodo situation.

“It is shocking because it is a protest like this by the Ugborodo people in 1994 that gave employment to him (Mr Esimaje Brikinns) in Chevron.

“It is not always good to shove away the ladder you used in climbing soon after you get to the top,” Comrade Eyengho admonished.