…Company laments over 500, 000bpd deferred production
OpeOluwani Akintayo, with agency reports
05 September 2018, Sweetcrude, Lagos — The blockade mounted by ExxonMobil workers around the company’s facilities in Nigeria has hit the sixth week.
The company’s workers’ unions had shut the company’s offices in Lagos, Ibeno and Eket in Akwa Ibom State since July over dismissal of 860 security personnel, mainly Nigerians, without entitlement.
Six weeks into the action, the aggrieved workers are yet to sheath their swords.
In a statement on Monday, the oil giant condemned the blockade, saying it threatens over 500,000 barrels per day of crude production, saying such “disruptions to these operations have the potential to significantly impact revenues.”
Reuters reports that the company, in a statement, said the blockade was characterised by “playing of loud music, defacing of company facilities and intimidation of personnel.”
The company added that “continued denial of access to production facilities could impact the company’s ability to safely continue production operations.”
Mobil Producing Nigeria, the ExxonMobil subsidiary that released the statement, produces over 550,000 barrels per day of crude oil, condensates, and natural gas liquids.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, Nigeria’s average production in the second quarter of 2018 was 1.8 million barrels per day. Officials at the oil company feared the blockade may affect the nation, which relies heavily on oil revenue.
