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Young professionals in the oil and gas sector yesterday petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to protest against corruption in the sector, which has led to the loss of 30,000 jobs.
The youths sent the petition under the aegis of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF) and Connected Development (CODE).
They alleged that high-level corruption in the sector caused the Egina Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) awarded to Samsung Heavy Industries to give over 30,000 jobs meant for young Nigerians to South Koreans.
They also alleged that the $3.8 billion Egina FPSO contract was corruption-ridden and violated the country’s local content law.
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While presenting the petition at the EFCC office in Abuja, Executive Officer of CODE, Hanzat Lawal, said exporting jobs meant for Nigerian youths to South Korea is an economic crime as it violated Nigeria’s local content law.
“The huge job losses only made life difficult for young Nigerians who would have otherwise benefitted from the contract. We believe that this is an economic crime against this country and the youths.
“As such, the EFCC should ensure that the sector is fully investigated and the local content law fully implemented so that it benefits Nigerian young professionals,” he said.
Chairman of NYPF, Moses Silako Siasia, said government’s many broken promises have ravished the Nigerian youth to the extent that the local content law should not be left unimplemented because it has huge potential to create job opportunities that they can benefit from.
He observed that because the jobs were was taken to South Korea, it was the youths over there that benefited that is why youths in Nigeria would not keep quite to ensure that the youth in Nigeria are given what is due to them.
Responding, EFCC Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who received the petition on behalf of the anti-graft agency, said the commission would look into the complaint and take necessary action.
