Chevron prevents workers from registering in Escravos

WARRI—CHAIRMAN of the Itsekiri Regional Development Council, IRDC, in Warri, Delta state, Mr. Mofe Pirah, yesterday, expressed regret that oil giant, Chevron Nigeria Limited, has refused to allow thousands of eligible workers at its Escravos tank farm to go out into the Ugborodo community to get registered in the voters registration exercise recently extended by only two days across 11 states in the country.
He also denied report by a member of the Great Ogboru Campaign Organisation, Mr. Richard Odibo, that foreigners were being transported to registered at Koko and Escravos in Warri North and South-West Local Government Areas of the state. He advised him as a respected opinion leader in the state to steer clear of the bad politicking and animosity that exist between the Itsekiri, Ijaw and Urhobos in their socio-political and economic relations in Delta State.

Pirah who said that efforts to get Chevron to allow a registration unit created inside its premises to allow eligible workers get registered also failed, adding that these people would eventually be wrongfully disenfranchised as most of them are duty bound to remain enclosed in the Tank Farm for upwards of 28-days before they are released on time off. According to him, “the interest focused only on the Itsekiri areas in Delta State shows the level of ill-feelings some of these neighbours have towards the Itsekiri,” noting that they would stop at nothing to marginalize, suppress and oppress the Itsekiri people in their own home.
Mr. Richard Odibo had last Friday alleged amongst other things that “some immigrants from Niger Republic and some under-aged persons” were being recruited and transported to register with a cash gift of between N3, 000 and N5, 000 per person.”
Mr. Odibo also alleged in the statement that “up to 30_50 buses are mobilized on daily basis fro around the state to Koko in Warri North and other towns in Warri South_West LGA for the registration”.