The leadership of the Ijaw Youth Council, IYC Worldwide has faulted the managers of oil companies operating in Gbarain Ubie oil platform and other Ijaw communities for selling employment and contract quotas to non Bayelsans.
The Council also condemned the high rate of unemployment in the clan, vowing to take proactive measures to end it.
President IYC, Comrade Udengs Eradiri, stated this at a joint stakeholders meeting at Polaku community in Yenagoa local government area, organized by IYC Gbarain, Yenagoa and Epietiama Clans on unemployment and sale of employment quotas by company personnel.
Eradiri noted that such acts by the oil operators would no longer be allowed to continue as they undermine the interest of the people.
He said the Gbarain Ubie platform was capable of engaging over 5,000 workers, but noted that the clans and other neighboring Ijaw communities suffer from lack of employment from the companies operating in the area.
According to Eradiri, the meeting was basically to discuss employment opportunities for the youths, community participation in fabrication and the sale of contracts to non Bayelsans.
Eradiri named the defaulting oil and construction companies as Mopol Engineering, West Ministers and Daewoo construction.
“We are here to look at the issues and communicate to the appropriate authorities,” Eradiri said.
Eradiri said that the IYC struggle was for political and economic power, noting that because of unemployment in the region, youths were taking to crimes.
“The facilities must employ both those who have the skills and the unskilled to work in order to reduce communal crisis,” he stressed.
Earlier, IYC chairman, Gbarain Clan, Comrade Ebekeze Raphael said the companies had denied the communities employment and contract quotas over the years.
He noted that the communities suffer from lack of social amenities such as potable water, drainages and electricity pointing out that the villagers also suffered from constant gas flaring.
Raphael said youths of the clan were denied the opportunity of doing their industrial training and working in these companies, as he alleged that the firms were selling employment and contract quotas to non Bayelsans.
The stakeholder meeting was attended by officials of IYC worldwide, Clan chairmen, elders of the body and youths drawn from all Niger Delta communities.
