Group petitions Senate President over prolonged casualization of teachers in NNPC staff school

By: Special Correspondent

A Delta based Non Governmental Organization, Golden Torch has petitioned the Senate President, Senator David Mark over 22 years old casualization of mostly Delta indigenous staff of NNPC staff school in Warri.

In the petition titled, “save us from human bondage,” the group accused the NNPC management of “cruelty” and favouritism in the employment of their cronies who are neither qualified nor have the relevant experience. They further alleged that of the 26 years of existence of the Warri staff school, the corporation, “has employed workers/teachers on permanent basis in the NNPC Towers Abuja and posted to school and other Strategic Business Unit (SBU)”.

A spokesman of Golden Torch, Mr. Amaechi Ogbonna told Fresh Angle that the affected teachers who have allegedly been on casualization for 23years are currently handicapped in the labour market as a result of advancement in age.

The petition further revealed that the affected casual teachers are presently being paid fifty five thousand naira (N55,000.00) without allowances such as transport, health, accommodation as well as Christmas bonus and refusal to pay “the ten percent (10%) yearly increment”. The group also noted in their petition that in a bid by the NNPC management in Warri to shy away from the issue, it recently hired a firm, Light-House Petroleum Engineering Company as pay master to the affected causal teachers. According to the group, the result of a deceptive tactics in the form of interview organized in 1996 to regularize the appointment of the affected teachers is still unknown.

They are particularly concerned that the 2003 December regularization trip to the NNPC Tower Abuja only resulted “in giving permanent appointment to very few who have god-father, husband and relations in the system in June 2004”. They appealed to the Senate President to intervene by asking the NNPC management to confirm their appointment and pay them their allowance for the number of years they have put in the services of the NNPC staff school.

Attempt to get words from Mr. Olegunleko B.A., Zonal Manager of NNPC Zonal Office in Warri to react to the petition met an uncouth response, as all he did was denied knowledge of the petition and referred our reporter to the group Managing Director of NNPC in Abuja.

Fresh Angle investigations reveal that the NNPC staff school in Warri presently has 27 permanent teachers, 16 of which were engaged from other areas and either deployed or transferred from their stations at the expense of the casual staff between 1992 and 2004.