There have been serious concerns over the spate of job racketeering going on within the employment system in Bonny Island. Sharp practices, compromise of protocols and blatant disregard for institutions of Bonny Kingdom, the Bonny Integrated Recruitment Centre being the greatest casualty. Recent events in that regard has compelled the Bonny Youth Federation (BYF), which constituents are most affected by debilitating corruption in the employment system in Bonny to speak up on the malaise.

In this interview with Kristina Reports Correspondent, Clariza Allison, the BYF Director of Manpower, Joseph Wilcox x-rayed the problem, offering a roadmap for rescuing the situation and also warning of the ominous consequences should the situation persist. Enjoy the read!.

Kristina Reports: The other day we got this information that there was this disagreement between the Bonny Youth Federation and some workers and it also involve the BIRC. So, what actually happened that day?

Joseph Wilcox: Okay, there was no disagreement between the BYF and the BIRC but there was an issue between the BYF and some workers and Daewoo. That day we met some huge number of workers doing medicals at St. Peter’s Clinic and we approached them and they admitted that they came for employment under Daewoo. So, we stopped the medicals and took them to BYF Secretariat to know who they are, to know why they are here and to know how they came and from our findings they came to do a welding job at Daewoo. After much interrogation, we saw that they are not here to cause harm to Bonny people. After ascertaining that fact, we now took them to BIRC. On getting to BIRC, the Chairman was there with some members of his committee. He came and addressed the workers without discussing with BYF why they brought them. After addressing the workers, he told them to go back to where they came from and that their various companies will come and pick them. Suddenly, a coaster bus came and took them to the Train 7 Workers Camp. They didn’t tell us that they are taking them to Workers Camp but they took them to Workers Camp.

The next day, we also followed up to be sure of what we are doing because it’s not a good thing that we have so many welders, trained welders in Bonny that are good for this same job, that can do this job. They live in Bonny. Some persons might not be Bonny indigenes but staying with us here in Bonny, somehow they should enjoy most of the privileges we enjoy as Bonny people. But despite having this qualified persons, Daewoo and their contractors went outside to bring these persons to work for them. It’s discouraging to BYF. It’s something that is not good at all. It’s painful. I’m not happy since I assumed office as the Director of Manpower. We have done one or two or three protests because of this.  

But if we are to ask, can you give an insight what happens around the clearance system for employment we know there’s supposed to be some quota, skilled, semi-skilled unskilled and then there’s supposed to be a payment system between the companies and the BIRC, so what actually is going on that leads to this kind of situation?

Yes, there’s a quota system that I don’t like as a professional, as an economist by profession and other skills that I have, I’m not comfortable with that quota system, the skilled, the company, 80% and Bonny, 20%. Now, they did not define, they didn’t expatiate what this skill is all about. A welder is a skilled person, a mason person is also a skilled person, and the plumber is a skilled person. But to suit the company, to benefit the company, they said skilled persons and they categorize the welders – that’s a particular kind of welder – as skilled then the same company now said the mason is semi-skilled. That means now you are giving Bonny 60% and the company 40%. So, in the aspect of the clearance you know usually, when the company comes, they visit His Majesty at the palace and the visit the BIRC to get their clearance. When they get the clearance they take it to their company to the Learning Center in the aspect of maintenance, aspect of construction and then to their various vendors like Daewoo, Saipem and the rest of them. In the case of these persons, the list we saw there, is a list that various companies and the number of personnel attached to those companies that are doing the test. Although, at that moment we have not seen any bureau clearance that’s why we are not happy with that. So, that’s why we have to take them to BYF and later to BIRC but we later got an information that there’s a clearance for this persons from Daewoo. We did not see that clearance letter.

So, I just want to clear the air. BYF is a pressure group. It’s a group that we are here to make sure that the youths of Bonny that are willing to work that are actually due to work actually get their positions. We have places like the township, we have Iwoama, we have Macaulay. In these various areas there are our brothers, as well as our Finima brothers. In that area we have young men and women that are willing to work. They are desperate to work and they don’t have these jobs and they are living with us here in Bonny. We all live here in Bonny and it is a painful thing. As I said earlier, I’m not happy because how can we have these persons in Bonny and a contractor of Daewoo and Saipem will go to Port Harcourt or elsewhere to bring them to Bonny? What about the people we have in Bonny? If these things are not checked, it might lead to a breach of security and that’s what the Bonny Youth Federation is striving hard to avoid. So, we are warning those persons that are involved in this act of going to Port Harcourt or elsewhere to bring people to come to Bonny whereas we have them in Bonny here to please stop because time is coming when hunger, you know when someone is hungry it leads to desperation and we can’t tell what that will lead to. It might lead to serious insecurities and conflicts of which all of us in Bonny including those bringing those persons to Bonny, those in charge of employment, and every other person might not be able to withstand what will come out of it. But we are trying to plead now.

Now, given what you are explaining, what is the way forward from the perspective of the BYF? What is the BYF proposing as a solution to this?

You know for me to answer that question, I have to set an example, a scenario that I witnessed. Sometime last year November, I witnessed a test done by Prezicon in MSC yard. On various skills, till smith, fabrications and insulation. It was divided into two areas, scaffolding and laid-out area and these other three that I mentioned at MSC yard. They refused the monitoring team to access a lot of the laid-out areas, and I said if the monitoring team did not witness the test, that of the MSC yard will not continue. So, they agreed and allowed the monitoring team to go and witness that other test. I witnessed the one done in MSC yard and there and then, huge number of Bonny persons about eleven of them passed the test both in fabrication, timsmith and insulation passed the test. The persons that conducted the test, one Edward and one other Ogoni brother are the ones that conducted the test. At the end of the test they indicated beside their names, those that passed and those that did not pass. Few days later, an official result came from the company that these our Bonny people that I witnessed, I was there, Attoni employment rep, Mr. Opuada, and three other persons were there. We all witnessed the test that these persons that passed suddenly, suddenly failed. This is a life experience that I witnessed, a situation where those that passed suddenly, overnight now failed. So, I put up a call to Mr. Ogolo, the Assistant Project Manager of Prezicon and told him my experience, expressed my disagreement, that that will not work. That I witnessed the test and they passed and our people must be called. After few days, the same Mr. Ogolo that told me that our people failed that they can go back, that they are apologizing, that they actually passed and that those that conducted the test were not there to tell him that they passed. The next day, these persons were called for medical, after few days they have to go for snapshots. So, this is just one of the many things happening.

So, now, the solution to these. Now, what BYF is saying, the solution that we are recommending is that one, there’s a difference between the clearance list of the BIRC and the actual list of our persons that have actually scaled through the test. We, the BYF, Bonny people, the monitoring team, if possible, the local government chairman because she is really interested to make sure that Bonny persons are gainfully employed because once we have more persons that are gainfully employed it will improve the security and the economic condition of the local government. So, we need to see in that final list those that have scaled through the employment processes. Let’s know how many persons, the Bonny quota, that have actually scaled through the employment processes, that have started work, then if there’s any gap, if there’s any difference, maybe those that did not pass the test, we quickly replace them. So, that is one of the recommendations of the BYF.

The second one is that we are strongly recommending that no company person should start working until the Bonny quota is sorted out. Before any company person will start work, let the last person on the list under Bonny quota be working. When that is done, the company will facilitate all the processes of test, induction, snapshot, PP and the rest of them for our people to start work because you know that if our people don’t start work their people will not also start work. Do you know that the companies don’t even test their people but our people have to undergo series of tests? No problem; since they say our people will undergo series of tests, our stand, the BYF stand is this, no company person should start to work till all those under the indigenous list have gone through the employment processes and they are due for working.

Then again, there’s a complaint of chieftaincy houses not bringing their own quota on time. Some of them stay like one, two or three weeks before bringing in the requisition to the BIRC. We want to say that, please, going forward as the Director of Manpower of this Federation, from the very first day that BIRC calls on the various chieftaincy houses to bring the names of the beneficiaries for a particular employment, we will be giving them at least three days. Three days is too far but because we assume that they should have a databank of all the youths of their House. So, if they need a plumber, they quickly go to their database and check the phone numbers of plumbers they have. Those that are working and those that are not working and quickly furnish BIRC with their names so that the company will not say our own list is coming late. So, please the chieftaincy houses, the house leaders, the employment reps of all the various houses, please, we are strongly recommending that once you receive a notification, a letter from BIRC to recommend one or two persons for employment, please we beg that you quickly send their names to BIRC. And if possible, the day you send their names to BIRC, please put the Director of Manpower on call because we are going to trace it to the Chiefs and also trace it when it comes back to BIRC. So, when that is done, the company or BIRC would not have any excuses of late compliance from the various houses.

We are also recommending that during the test, BIRC should have a resource person on the various skills: iron bending, scaffolding and the rest of them, who must be part of the monitoring of the test. The BYF will be there, the monitoring team will be there, then that resource person on that particular thread must also be there to ascertain if our persons actually passed or not. Then the result after the test should not exceed there and then. But if one or two persons are too busy and the test result will not come same day, it should not exceed the next day as early as possible. Then, those resources persons will certify if our Bonny people actually did well or not, and not for the company to keep on telling us that our people keep on failing. Now if the nominations from the chieftaincy houses, let’s say a plumber failed the test, what happens to that house? That chieftaincy house should be given the opportunity to bring a replacement as quickly as possible. So that that particular chance that was given to the house will not be a waste.

Now, another recommendation from the BYF is that there should be monthly headcount. BYF also have the data of how many persons that are cleared and how many people that have gone through the employment process. Then we will now go back on the monthly bases, BYF, BIRC, if possible, the monitoring team. They will be there to count how many persons on the company portal that are actually working. They will know if the company one way or the other is bringing in one or two persons from the back. There was a day I was called, as the Director of Manpower, that they witnessed 50 persons, 50 electricians that were brought into Daewoo. How did they get into Daewoo? What gave them the guts. There was no clearance from anywhere and they gained access into Daewoo. If this monthly headcount is being done, I don’t think Daewoo or any other company both in construction or maintenance, would have the boldness to bring in somebody without BIRC clearance on site.

If we have this monthly headcount on how many persons are actually on site, such shortchanging of Bonny persons will be utterly eliminated or reduced. Then again, we have company reps and the rest of them, the BYF is against them intimidating our people before the test. You can imagine before a brother attend a test they will be asking, “you know this thing at all?” “Don’t go there and fail oh.” “Are you sure you can do this?” Or while they are even trying to do the test, they’re saying “Ahh! You don fail oh!” Please, our company reps and our fellow Bonny contractors, you know that you are there to do business and we know that the aim of all businesses is to maximize profit. But you can still make profit if our Bonny persons are working. You can still make profit if more Bonny persons are working.

The amount of profit you will make when you bring non-indigenes to work in Bonny here, is the same amount of profit you will make when Bonny people work. Labour supply should have a flat rate payment. If the rate is the same across board, plumbers have a rate, welders have a rate. If that rate is the same thing, it is the same profit you get from bringing non-indigenes to work in the same company and if you allow Bonny indigenes that are your brothers and sisters that reside here, bear our names to work. That is a profitable gain. BYF is strongly behind all Bonny indigenes that are willing to work. We are against any form of shortchanging of Bonny people. We are going to plead with the BIRC to do the needful, and also plead with the companies to also do the needful. Our various contractors, we are watching so that our Bonny people will be gainfully employed. At the end of the day, all of us will rejoice together. Bonny will be a sweeter place and it will be an economic hub for all of us. This is the time for BYF.