LABOUR COMMITTEE VISITS AMOCON OPERATIONAL BASE IN UDUNG UKO
…𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴
The State Labour Committee led by its Chairman, Rt. Hon. Nse Essien, PhD, on Thursday, April 24, 2025 visited the operational bases of Amalgamated Oil Company of Nigeria in Edikor, Eyosun and Uboro Isong Inyang communities in Udung Uko LGA for on-the-spot assessment.
Conducting the Labour Committee around the facilities, the Project and Operational Manager, Dr Idongesit Ekpo, said the Company in its years of operations in Udung Uko LGA has adhered strictly to the international standard protocol.
Dr Ekpo added that their company, AMOCON, has followed keenly the conducted Environmental Impact Assessment, hence, creating a special waste controlling chamber where a contracted firm is responsible for managing generated waste during production to avoid environmental degradation.
On his part, the State Committee Chairman, Rt. Hon Nse Essien, PhD, noted that there is need for the Company, in line with Local Content Act to engage more qualified skilled and unskilled personnel who are locals to balance what they have in their operational bases in the Local Government Area, requesting that the company provides information of those they have engaged from the host communities.
Following a Petition from Ekim village, a neighbouring community close to AMOCON’s Eyosun operational base, the State Labour Committee members visited the village council of Ekim to interact and respond to their earlier petition. They assured them that being close to Eyosun operational base, Ekim is also part of the host communities.
Responding on behalf of community, the Former PDP Chairman in Akwa Ibom, Arc. Otu Ita Otoyo expressed delight for the engagement between his community and representative of AMOCON, and appreciated the State Labour Committee’s effort in making it possible.
“There is no need for conflict, there is enough for everybody and for generations to come. We are reasonable people and we respect reasonable engagement and decision, above all, we want an inclusion, which has always been a problem with extractive industry everywhere,” Arc. Toyo said.
It was learnt that, at Eyokpu village, one of the host communities of AMOCON, an election for PIA recognized BOT nomination for the community failed due to irreconcilable differences. However, the Committee, in its wisdom agreed on another date in a neutral venue for those affected to partake in the elections to fill up the blank position.
The State Labour Committee, also made a case for Uboro Isong Inyang village, a neighboring community where AMOCON is proposing another operational base to ensure that their entitlements as a host community is being taken into consideration.
