14 June 2012, Sweetcrude, PORT HARCOURT – YOUTHS of Bonny kingdom in Rivers State appear set to clash with the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas Limited, NLNG, over a recent recruitment exercise conducted by the firm where about 33 persons were employed.
At a press briefing on Wednesday in Port Harcourt, youths of the area who spoke under the aegis of Youths of Bonny Kingdom, said NLNG did not engage anybody from the area among the 33 people it recruited, stressing that the act was a violation of the local content law.
While urging the state and federal government to prevail on the firm to employ some of the youths, Mr. Furo Gift said it would be unfair for the area to suffer pollution from operations of the NLNG, yet its youths would be shut out of the company’s employment opportunities.
He said: “You cannot be taking so much from the people’s land and cannot give them employment; it means that you want them to remain perpetually poor”.
When contacted, a source in the media department of NLNG said the employment of the 33 people by the firm was purely on merit.
The source said the firm placed advert for jobs on August 2011, and about 4,500 people applied, adding that the firm shortlisted 1,500, then 158 made it to the interview stage from where the 33 were picked on merit.
