Egi workers threaten TotalEnergies shutdown over the alleged dismissal of 47 indigenous contract staff in Rivers State

Some contract workers from Egi communities in Ogba’Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State have threatened to shut down the operations of TotalEnergies in Oil Mining Lease 58 over the alleged dismissal of 47 indigenous contract staff since 2014.

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The affected workers, operating under the platform of the Egi Indigenous Contract Staff/Service Workers alongside the Niger Delta Widows Prayer Forum, issued the warning in a petition addressed to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of TotalEnergies in Paris, France.

The petition accused the oil company of unfairly disengaging the workers after they demanded conversion from contract status to permanent employment and sought improved welfare conditions.

According to the petitioners, the affected workers were dismissed in 2014 after requesting better treatment and job security, a move they described as discriminatory and unjust.

Egi workers threaten TotalEnergies shutdown as tensions rise over what community members described as years of neglect and unresolved grievances affecting families within the oil-producing communities.

The petitioners lamented that many of the disengaged workers, who once served as breadwinners for their households, had been forced into commercial motorcycle riding and other menial jobs to survive.

The group also expressed concern over the worsening conditions faced by widows linked to the dismissed workers, saying several now depend on their children and relatives for daily survival.

“We write with great disappointment and aches in our hearts on the high level of neglect and disregard for the people of Egi Clan,” part of the petition read.

The petition further questioned why the affected workers remained disengaged despite claims that other employees within the company had carried out similar labour-related actions without facing dismissal.

“To our utmost surprise, your company failed to give answers to the question; if the expression of their rights when dehumanised is against work ethics,” the petition added.

The protesters warned that failure by TotalEnergies to address the issue within seven working days could lead to mass demonstrations and a complete shutdown of the company’s operations in the area.

They also threatened to mobilise women groups from Ikwerre, Ogoni and Middle Belt communities to support the protest if the matter remains unresolved.

The petition stated that the widows and affected workers were prepared to draw national attention to their demands through coordinated protests across the Niger Delta region.

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Efforts to obtain the reaction of the company’s Stakeholders Engagement Manager, Henry Ehuike, were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to him were not answered as of Wednesday evening.