The Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre (BIRC) says it was aware of the arrival of Deux Project Limited, a contractor to Nigeria LNG, to Bonny and was also in receipt of the records of the non-Bonny staff the company came with to execute its contract in the island.

Chairman of the BIRC, Dagogo Fanyeofori Jumbo, who stated this today during an interview with Kristina Reports in his office in Bonny, dismissed insinuations that the company secretly brought in non-indigenes to shortchange members of the community.

“A company came into the island called Deux Project Limited. Deux Project Limited, from our findings, was awarded a contract by NLNG since December 2020. And if NLNG awards you a contract there are processes you will undergo, signing of documents and all that.”

He informed that upon arrival in Bonny, the company met with officials of the BIRC in his office where the details of the project it came to execute were discussed and the relevant employment protocols were agreed upon, stressing that the company had not acted in any way inimical to the interest of Bonny Kingdom.

“On the 2^nd of February, 2021, Deux Project Limited met with the BIRC officially in our office. And they presented a list of their percentage of who and who they are coming in with. It was a list of 38 persons presented to us; that is myself, the Vice Chairman, Secretary, Director of Operations, PRO, Non-indigenes representative.”  

“We looked at the list and there were grey areas that concern Bonny Kingdom that they did not bring to Bonny Kingdom. We did not endorse the list because we were not yet satisfied with their list. The documents are here and anybody, any Bonny son or daughter can come to BIRC and verify it.”

He disclosed that out of about 100 positions, Bonny Kingdom had 78 slots while the company had 38, explaining that the slots for semi-skilled labour were also complied with cutting across the various jobs to be done.

“They brought a list of 38 persons for us to scrutinize, to check. Bonny own quota is a total of 78 persons. In total these numbers carries skilled positions for Bonny people.”

“We have electricians, we have plumbers, we have carpenters, we have tillers, we have divers, we have the housekeepers. We marked areas that cannot fly for the company and stamped it and asked them to return it to their company.”

He warned against portraying Bonny in bad light by not following due process in managing situations as they arise, noting that the tendency to be hasty with information without due diligence is inimical to the image of Bonny Kingdom.

Jumbo also pointed out that the hotels and other places of lodging used as accommodation for workers were businesses being run by Bonny people, stressing that projecting such places of business in negative light would demarket the businesses involved.

He called on every son and daughter of Bonny Kingdom to reach the BIRC for clarification on issues, maintaining that “our doors are always open from Monday to Friday and all of us are on seat to attend to everyone that comes here. You can also reach us online or via our phone numbers”.