The discovery of oil in the North is a national breakthrough that is worth celebrating as it would bring about several national developments and provide a lot of employment opportunities to citizens and enhance the economic state of the nation.
Nigerians, especially northerners, celebrated the news break of the success recorded in Bauchi state, North-east Nigeria, believing that the citizens are going to benefit from such a remarkable achievement of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. This is in furtherance of the federal government signing an agreement to establishi a power plant and fertiliser-producing company in the area.
Besides, for oil to be discovered it has to go through series of activities, an operation called SEISMIC. It’s a geological data acquisition operation that leads to the discovery of a hydrocarbon reservoir, which is the key to any success recorded in oil discovery, hence it requires rigorous activities of hard work with persistence and perseverance from the management and indeed the labourers who are responsible for the entire hard work surrounding the seismic operations.
Also, seismic is such a difficult job that comes with a series of hard work ranging from carrying and laying heavy loads of cable, drilling machines, and stems, among other equipment and materials needed for the operation. It is usual for seismicity to work 6 am to 6 pm, 7 days every week without any complaints because that is the nature of the work. But for workers of JV209 (a seismic joint venture between the subsidiary of NNPC Integrated Data Services Limited, (IDSL) and that of China National Petroleum Corporation CNPC, Bureau Geophysical Prospecting (BGP), the case is different, as the company introduced night operations.
Wholeheartedly, the workers stood through thick and thin , enduring the extreme cold weather and scorching sun of the region as the work cuts across the entire season, where workers often get drenched due to heavy rainfall during the wet season.
The workers on the field have no option of which route to follow while working in the bush, because the lines to work on are preassigned, and therefore have to pass through every nook and cranny thereby climbing mountains, entering water bodies, penetrating through thick forest in the course of discharging their duty.
Notwithstanding, the sacrifices of the workers did not go in vain as the crew recorded the highest production ever in the country and yielded positive results of quality data, and was able to complete an estimated two years project in just a year, which should have been paid for if extended to the stipulated period.
Unfortunately, some workers lament that they were promised a certain amount of money after work by the crew management, which is yet to be fulfilled. Almost every worker was admitted to a crew clinic and some to a medical center in the state capital, during the operation only the sacrifice of staying a year away from our family with lower salary should be rewarded” and cite their ability to finish two years project in one year which if extended to that period they would be paid for it.
Above all, the government should try and fulfill such promises as failure to do so is a big threat to the nation’s security. We are not done with militants, bandits, and insurgents, among other security challenges bedeviling the country.
The workers should follow the right way of pressing for their demands. Perhaps this will hinder the progress to the logical conclusion of the project which will be detrimental to all and sundry.
Ibrahim Garba,
Bauchi, Bauchi state
