Nigeria Content Online

Nigeria National
Fitters Association, an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress, at
the weekend threatened to disrupt the operations of Marubeni Nigeria
Limited, the contracting firm handling the National Independent Power
Project in Ogorode, Sapele local government council of Delta State. The
body accused the firm of not adhering to the local content policy in
not engaging its members in the ongoing project work.

The contracting
company was said to have hired about 40 foreign fabricators and thus
contravened the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Local Content Development
Act which strives to keep the upstream sector in the hands of Nigerians
as much as possible.

In a protest letter
addressed to the National Assembly, a copy of which was made available
to newsmen in Warri, they said it is unreasonable for a Nigerian firm
to engage over 40 foreigners in a job that could be handled
professionally by certified Nigerian fitters who have proven their
competence in the country and neighbouring African countries.

No disappointment

The protest letter
was signed by the zonal chairman of the association, Morrister Idibra
and his secretary, Clement Ukpebitere. The letter noted that Nigerian
fitters (fabricators) have not disappointed any firm and their major
challenge has been the influx of foreigners who are not better.

According to them,
all attempts to hold meetings with the company have been unsuccessful.
They warned that they will no longer tolerate a situation where jobs
meant for their youth, to reduce restiveness and insecurity, are given
to foreigners.

According to the
letter, “The Project Manager of the NIPP, a staff of Power Holding
Company of Nigerian (PHCN) has refused every attempt to hold meeting
with us instead he maintained that the project is a Federal Government
project and that there is an instruction that Nigerian fitters should
not be employed because they are not qualified.

“This we find
difficult to assimilate because Nigerian Fitters has been involved in
the building of power plant projects like Egbin Power Plant, Ughelli
Power Project and even the Ogorode Power Project”, the letter noted.

Reducing militancy

They also asked why
the federal government which seeks to reduce militancy in the Niger
Delta region and generate over 30,000 jobs within five years through
the implementation of the local content policy, should deny its
citizens opportunity to work.

“We cannot believe
the order came from a government that just passed a law on Nigeria
Local Content Development because it’s most unthinkable and
unreasonable that a job is been executed in our backyard yet we cannot
be employed”.