Chevron facility obstructed by locals in Delta community

On Thursday, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) verified that demonstrators in the Ugborodo village of Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, had obstructed its facilities.

The report was verified by CNL General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Esimaje Brikinn, in a statement provided to Obasanjo News24.

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In a statement, Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), the operator of the joint venture between CNL and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), confirmed that on November 21, 2023, at around 7 a.m., boats carrying protestors began patrolling along CNL’s Terminal and the jetties of Escravos Gas-To-Liquids (EGTL). They then blocked access to Escravos Terminal, which includes the EGTL jetty, in CNL’s Western area of operations.

According to Brikinn, the demonstrators are calling for the Warri Kingdom Onshore Host Community Development Trust, or HCDT, to be renamed and for them to be involved in nominating more people to the HCDT’s Board of Trustees, or BOT.

Furthermore, they are asking for local community workers to be mobilised for the EGTL Turn Around Maintenance (“TAM”) efforts.

Brikinn confirmed that CNL strictly complies with all relevant laws and rules in its operations.

“CNL is dedicated to the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021 (“PIA”) compliance with the operationalization of the HCDT.”

“In order to operationalize the HCDT, CNL is still working with pertinent stakeholders, such as traditional rulers and leaders of the Ugborodo community.

Additionally, he stated, “CNL is dedicated to making sure community workers participate in the EGTL TAM in accordance with the manpower mobilisation plan.”

In order to guarantee the protesters’ peaceful departure from its Terminal and EGTL jetties, Brikinn went on to say that CNL will keep in contact with all pertinent parties, such as the demonstrators, community leaders, traditional rulers, the BOT of the HCDT, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Delta State Government, and others.

He stated, “The safety of people, the environment, and its assets is CNL’s top priority and will always be our commitment.”