06/10/2025
TOOLS DOWN AT SAIPEM-DAEWOO TRAIN 7 PROJECT AS WORKERS PROTEST TAX FRAUD ALLEGATION
There was tension today, October 6th, 2025, at the Saipem-Daewoo Train 7 Project site in Bonny Island, Rivers State, as workers reportedly downed tools following revelations of alleged tax fraud and financial exploitation by the company.
According to inside sources, workers discovered that huge sums were being deducted from their salaries monthly as “taxes”—yet no remittance has been made to the Federal Government for over three years.
It was alleged that junior workers earning ₦219,000 monthly were taxed as high as ₦40,000, while welders and fitters earning ₦400,000 had ₦150,000 deducted in the name of tax. However, there’s reportedly no record of these payments with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
It was reported that around September 2025, the management of Daewoo Engineering & Construction, in collaboration with NLNG, allegedly assured workers that they would “generate tax PINs within two weeks” to enable verification of their tax payment records.
But this explanation has only intensified anger among the workforce as the duration given had already elapsed with no response. One worker, who requested anonymity, said:
👉 “I already have a personal tax ID, yet the company never asked for it when I was employed. So where exactly are they paying my tax to?”
Another worker questioned:
👉 “If the company truly remits our tax to the government, why would it take two weeks to generate our tax receipts and provide our PINs? Something isn’t adding up.”
Many workers have accused Daewoo and its partners of long-term exploitation, citing systematic underpayment, inhumane working conditions, and unaccounted deductions under the guise of tax compliance.
The protest has disrupted operations at the multibillion-dollar Train 7 project site, with workers vowing not to resume until full transparency and evidence of tax remittance are provided.
As at press time, neither Daewoo Engineering, Saipem, nor NLNG had issued an official statement addressing the allegations.
CC: Inibehe Effiong ESQ.
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