Oando faces backlash as Ijaw group condemns proposed sack of 450 workers

Amah-Ugbor Nnachi, South-East Bureau Chief

Group, the Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDU, on Wednesday, kicked against the planned layoff of over 450 staff of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company by the Oando Energy Resources, saying the move negated the collective agreement signed by the parties during the acquisition negotiations.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the Ijaw Diaspora Union, Prof Mondy Gold, the group noted that terminating the personnel based on a 2025 half-year staff performance evaluation raises the question of fairness and transparency.

According to the statement, “The Ijaw Diaspora Council (IDC) expresses grave concern over the recent announcement by Oando Energy Resources Nigeria Limited of its intention to terminate the employment of over 450 staff who were inherited from the former Nigeria Agip Oil Company (NAOC) following the acquisition of the company.

“This decision appears to be in direct violation of the collective agreement signed during the acquisition negotiations between Oando, Eni, and the recognized staff association. During these negotiations, the management of Oando assured employees of job continuity rather than severance. The Group Chief Executive of Oando, Mr. Wale Tinubu, reaffirmed this commitment to job security during a company-wide town hall meeting.

“However, Oando is now justifying the proposed mass termination based on a 2025 half-year staff performance evaluation, in which over 70 percent of the workforce were reportedly rated below standard. IDC notes that this performance exercise raises questions of procedural fairness and transparency, particularly given: many of these employees have served an average of 15 years, contributing significantly to the company’s operational history.

“During periods of heightened insecurity in the Niger Delta, these same staff sustained operations when expatriate personnel had withdrawn. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they risked their lives to maintain the company’s production integrity and community relations.”

It added, “At present, former NAOC staff continue to manage field operations and production performance across all major assets. Furthermore, in Oando Plc’s own 2025 nine-month performance report (as published in Punch Newspaper on October 31, 2025), the company credited its 59 percent year-on-year increase in crude oil and gas production and 82 percent operational uptime to the successful consolidation of NAOC assets.

“This raises critical questions:
How can the same workforce credited with delivering these improved outcomes now be classified as underperforming?
IDC is also deeply troubled by indications that the proposed staff reduction may result in the replacement of current employees with recruits predominantly from a single region, undermining the principles of equity, federal character, and the long-standing partnership between host communities in Rivers, Bayelsa, and Delta States and the oil industry operating in the Niger Delta.

“Oando must honor the collective agreement signed during the acquisition.
If restructuring is deemed necessary, due process must be followed, including:
Transparent performance evaluation
Good-faith negotiation with the workers’ union

“Fair compensation and severance, where applicable. No employee should be selected for retention or dismissal based on state or region of origin.
IDC stands with the affected workers, host communities, and all stakeholders committed to fairness, corporate accountability, and the protection of livelihoods in the Niger Delta.”