Niger Delta: Group Urges Probe of Multinationals Over Host Communities

The Coalition for Better Nigeria has called on the Federal Government, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Exploration and Production Limited, the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board and other relevant agencies to investigate alleged unfair treatment of Nigerians and host communities by some multinational oil and gas companies operating in the Niger Delta.

The coalition made the call at a press conference, urging the authorities to ensure that multinational operators comply with Nigerian laws, contractual obligations and applicable local content requirements.

The group said the proposed investigation should cover issues relating to employment, career progression, contracting opportunities and crude oil evacuation arrangements.

According to the coalition, qualified Nigerians, particularly indigenes of host communities, should be given fair opportunities to rise to senior technical and management positions whenever they meet the required qualifications, experience and performance standards.

It said employment, promotion, placement and succession decisions should be transparent, merit-based and free from discrimination based on ethnicity, place of origin or other improper considerations.

The coalition also raised concerns over corporate policies which it alleged could restrict the career progression of qualified employees because of family relationships or affiliations with suppliers, contractors or other companies doing business with their employers.

While acknowledging the need for conflict-of-interest and ethical-compliance rules, the group argued that such policies should not automatically become barriers to the career advancement of qualified employees.

On contracting opportunities, the coalition called for an investigation into alleged prolonged delays in the processing, certification and payment of invoices submitted by qualified host-community contractors.

It said many indigenous contractors lacked the financial capacity to withstand prolonged payment delays, warning that such practices could undermine local businesses, affect employment and weaken Nigerian participation in the oil and gas industry.

The group also urged NNPC Limited, NEPL and relevant petroleum regulatory authorities to examine crude evacuation arrangements, including allegations concerning the use or non-use of the Trans-Forcados Pipeline.

The coalition further called on the authorities to establish whether operators were complying with approved metering, evacuation, fiscalisation and reporting requirements, stressing that transparency and accountability were necessary in the management of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources.

The group stressed that its demands were not for positions or contracts to be awarded to unqualified persons, but for what it described as “fairness, accountability and opportunity, not favouritism.”

It added that competence, safety, performance and due process must remain paramount, while host communities should benefit meaningfully from legitimate employment, capacity development and contracting opportunities generated by petroleum operations in their areas.

The coalition said Nigeria’s natural resources should contribute not only to national revenue but also to the sustainable development of communities and Nigerians whose environment hosts petroleum operations.

It urged the Federal Government and relevant agencies to act promptly and transparently, saying that addressing the concerns would promote better relations between oil companies and host communities and help prevent avoidable industrial and community tensions in the Niger Delta.