Wife of  Missing Oil Worker Demands Justice from Depthwize

Rebecca Ejiforma

More than two weeks after the capsize of the “Majestic” drilling rig owned by Depthwize Nigeria Limited,  a company that was contracted by Seplat Energy, the wife of one of those unaccounted for is inconsolable, as the company is yet to inform her of the status of her husband. 

On August 15, 2023, the “Majestic” rig which was in-transit to its planned drilling location at Ovhor in Ughelli South Local Government of Delta State met an unfortunate fate, and it wasn’t long before a statement was released by Seplat Energy, stating that the rig had a total of 96 crew members on board, with 92 persons successfully rescued.

“…92 of the 96-member crew are accounted for and safe. However, tragically one fatality occurred during the incident, while three other rig personnel are still missing,” reads the statement signed by the company’s CEO, Mr. Roger Brown.

Vivian, the wife of Mr. Howard Slim Adikankwu, one of those declared missing, had been in deep sorrow and confusion since the rig collapse incident.

Although visibly distraught and confused, Vivian Adikankwu spoke bravely about her ordeal and how she is grappling with the absence of her husband, as well as raised critical concerns about the adequacy of Seplat Energy’s efforts to locate the missing workers.

She revealed that her husband was engaged for the job by Human Resources firm, Ynsynk Nigeria Limited, a company based in Port Harcourt, which recruited workers for Depthwize Nigeria Limited, the owners of the collapsed rig that drilled oil for Seplat Energy.

“A day before the incident, my husband had called me regarding his personal business asking me to help him follow up on an ongoing transaction, which I did. The following day being Tuesday, I tried reaching my husband but to no avail, I thought it was just network issues until I later got a call around 2p.m from one Richard Ogbechie, HR at Depthwize, who told me that he was sorry that my husband was missing,” Vivian narrated.

“I told him my husband left the house five days ago for work. He told me that the rig that my husband was working on submerged around 4a.m that day but that their office was alerted by 5a.m. He said others were rescued but my husband and about four others were missing.

“I called my brother-in-law immediately. I was confused. I dropped my phone. It’s been 14 days now since I last heard from my husband, and no real action has been taken by his employers to locate him. Day after day, we hear promises upon promises, but my husband has not been accounted for,” said Vivian, her voice tinged with both grief and frustration.

Continuing with the heartrending account, she shared how her family and friends are struggling to come to terms with the situation, anxiously awaiting updates while actively seeking any snippet of information they can find on the whereabouts of her husband.

Vivian Adikankwu said the management of Depthwise Ltd had called to ask for her bank account, because they told her they wanted to be paying her “feeding money” pending when they are able to find her husband.

When contacted on telephone to ascertain the progress being made in the search and rescue, Mr. Richard Ogbechie, the personnel manager at Depthwize, said, “I am not authorised to speak with the media. Only my Managing Director is authorised to speak with the public on this matter.”

When urged to provide the phone number of his managing director, Ogbechie said, “I cannot give you my MD’s number. The same way you searched out my own number, you can also look for his number.”

The confusion caused by the missing Adinkankwu, is compounded by the fact that his father’s burial was scheduled for the upcoming week, and the widowed mother is still unaware of her missing son.

After the incident on Tuesday, August 15, Seplat Energy was the first to announce its resolve to prioritise the safety and wellbeing of all the affected personnel on the ill-fated rig.

In their well-publicised statement, the company went on to state that it was working in partnership with the authorities on emergency response and rescue efforts on site.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the crew member who sadly lost his life and the three crew members who are still missing at the time of this report. Our emergency response and rescue efforts working alongside the rig owner and the authorities have been activated and are onsite. Our utmost priority will continue to be the safety and wellbeing of all the affected personnel and their families,” the statement by the CEO read.

Seplat Energy may have been the ‘owners’ of the oil being drilled by the defunct Majestic rig, but the drilling was contracted to Depthwize Nigeria Limited, an indigenous contractor with RC number: 969014 that has been operating in Nigeria since July, 2011.

Depthwize also released a statement to counter the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency’s (NIMASA) statement that the Ill-fated rig had been operating on Nigerian waters without requisite approvals since 2016.

In the statement, Depthwise argued that their rig was operating legally, and reiterated that they were giving “priority and attention, at this time, to the ongoing rescue operations with respect to our missing members.”

Meanwhile, in NIMASA’s own statement, signed by Assistant Director, Public Relations, Edward Osagie, the agency also said it had dispatched a team of Search and Rescue and marine accident investigation officers to the scene of the incident.

That’s not all. The Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NUPRC) also confirmed that search and rescue operations had started and were still on-going.

“Information from our Warri Regional Office confirmed that Search and rescue operations of Personnel on Board (POB) the rig has commenced and it’s on-going. Seplat Energy has also submitted Incident Notification Form 41 to the Commission as statutorily required and commenced preliminary and detailed investigation on the incident,” the statement read.

The “Majestic” rig collapse tragedy has indeed shone a harsh light on a deeply rooted issue in Nigeria – the extremely poor value for human life. It’s a topic that has been whispered about for years, a grim undercurrent in a nation struggling with myriad challenges.

It is sad to note that there is a wide disparity between the value placed on the lives of the affluent and the everyday worker in Nigeria. The missing rig workers have become symbols of a larger issue – the perception that some lives are considered expendable, mere statistics in a grand scheme.

Indeed, the story of the Adikankwus and the families of the other missing workers is a poignant reminder of the human toll that industrial accidents can take, and the importance of transparent and compassionate responses from corporate entities.

In all, as investigations into the cause of the disaster unfold, the missing rig workers deserve more than condolences; they deserve a comprehensive investigation, transparent reporting, and support for their families.

There should be an end to the culture of impunity and negligence that has plagued the country for too long.