…I Am Not Owing My Workers Salary, Those Protesting Are Mischief Makers- Zik Gbemre
By Godwin- Maria Utuedoye
The entrance gate of the Utorogu Oil Field facilities, OML 34, was Friday, April 26, besieged by peaceful protesters from the host Otu-Jeremi community, over an alleged non-payment of 8 months salaries and 2 years bonuses to workers for over two years.
The protesters which includes men, women and youths, called for the immediate removal of the contractor in charge of the Security and pipeline Surveillance, Zik Gbemre & Associates.
Armed with placards bearing different inscriptions such as, ‘Otu-Jeremi community say no to modern slavery against community workers’, ‘Our husbands, brothers and children are not slaves to Zik and Associates’, NEPL/ND Western should stop imposing Zik & Associates on Otu-Jeremi community amongst others.
They urged the contractor to pay them their salaries as they will not accept exploitation by contractors irrespective of who they are and their status.
“We demand justice and fair treatment, the protesters chanted and demanded a change of contractor.
The also accused the contractor of gross negligence and mismanagement of workers, which they alleged has led to the non-payment of workers for such a long period.
Chairman of Otu-Jeremi Community, Prince Godwin Jeje, while addressing newsmen alleged that the contractor is enslaving their children by owing them eight months salaries and two years bonuses. He disclosed that their children cried to them sometime in January as the community leaders, and they in turn wrote a letter to the contractor whom they alleged refused to respond to them.
” Zik & Associate is enslaving our children. They cried to us in January, and we wrote to the contractor twice, but he didn’t respond to any of our letters, we petitioned him to the Delta state government through the Commissioner for oil and gas who also invited him twice so as to resolved the issue, but he failed.
“It was as a result of his failures to honour the letters from the company and that of the commissioner for oil and gas that we resolved that the contractor be removed so we will bring in our own contractor as even the Zik & Associate was recommended by the community, and now that he is constituting problems to the community, we want him removed and recommend another contractor”.
They vow to continue the protest and remain at the gate of the Flow Station for 7 days. They agitate for another indigenous contractor whom they can count on.
“He should go to his community, he is not from here and we will not allow him to enslave us while he feed fat, pay his children fees and we are here dying of hunger, yet we work”.
Representative of ND-Western/ZEPL, Chief Otobrise, while addressing the protesters thanked them for not being violent and destructive.
” First I would want to thank you all for the ways and manners you carried out your protest. I must say I am grateful to you because you didn’t injure any workers or destroy any property belonging to the company. I am grateful to you, but I want you to go back and tell the PG, Tue Women leaders and the Youth leaders to write to the company their grievances and that will be looked into quickly and addressed properly”.
I am not owing any of my workers- Gbemre
On his part, the CEO of Zik & Associate, Zik Gbemre Esq., denies owing any of his workers but said, their protests is a sponsored one.
“How can I owe someone for 8 months or 2 years without pay, am i not a human being or how can they survive this harsh economy.
“Those protesting are not my workers, and the women who joined them in the protest do not even know the reasons for their protests.
“Most of them you see there protesting were workers that have been sacked for their dubious characters and for benefitting from illegal oil bunkering, but through my efforts, such activities have stopped and its now affecting them, hence they paid people to protest against me, but the companies are aware of my efforts and contributions towards putting a stop on pipeline vandalism and oil bunkering activities”.
Zik Gbemre who responded to questions by journalists through phone, also maintained that he cannot be protecting pipeline and at the same time engaging people who will collaborate with vandals and under their watch, pipelines will be vandalized. He said his job is to protect the pipelines from the Utorogu flow station to Utorogu gas plant and he has vowed to protect the pipelines to the later.
“Those chasing me are not my workers and they are just being pressured to do so because some mischief makers are pushing to take my job, but the company is aware of my efforts”.