Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — The National Association of Plants Operators, NAPO, has petitioned the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and other relevant Senate Committees, requesting to be included in the ongoing probe into the Nigeria LNG Train-7 construction project.
NAPO President, Comrade Harold Benstowe, raised the alarm over the exploitation of Nigerian workers, alleging that workers on the project site were being treated like “slaves” with poor working conditions, harassment, and brutality by security personnel.
This development comes as the National Assembly Joint Committee on Gas begins its investigation into the Nigeria LNG Train-7 gas plant construction project in Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The union claims that the project’s contractors, Saipem and Daewoo, have exaggerated the number of workers on site, threatening to release videos and pictures showing the deplorable conditions and mistreatment of workers.
Benstowe in the petition raised several concerns, including, the need for a fair hearing, emphasizing that the probe will not be fair if they are not allowed to participate and present their side of the story.
NAPO also challenged the numbers presented by Nigeria LNG and its contractors, Saipem and Daewoo, which they believe are exaggerated.
The petition reads in part, “The ongoing probe on Nigeria LNG Train-7 project will not be viewed as fair hearing, if parties on the other side of the divide are not part of the probe to speak for themselves as the question raised by Senator Natasha Akpoti on the 13th of June during the hearing affects NAPO members as stakeholders in the project.
“It is imperative that NAPO as the authentic trade union chosen by the workers to be part of the probe, unearth the truth about the real conditions of the Nigeria LNG Train 7 Project.
“NAPO challenges the irrational variations in the astronomical exaggerated number of workers on the project site by Nigeria LNG and contractors Saipem Contracting Nigeria, Daewoo Engineering Construction Nigeria in the NLNG Train-7 Gas Plant Construction Project.
“What we have on site are not decent employees right now but less than 5,000 Nigerian slaves working with military guns on their backs like in the slave trade era of the colonialists.
“We shall show videos of financially induced Nigerian security personnel’s harassment of workers and pictures of victims of Police and military brutality on Nigerian construction workers.
“NAPO is standing up for her right to be part of the probe as NAPO informative facts are very important to set the records straight.”
