By: Felix Ikpotor
Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the private security company responsible for the protection of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) and Eastern Gas Network (EGN) has doled out empowerment scheme for 3,000 women from its 216 communities cutting across Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia States.
The women were given cheques ranging from N250,000 to N1,000.000 through the empowerment scheme intended to boost their various businesses and their financial income.
Speaking shortly after presenting cheques to the beneficiaries at the PINL monthly stakeholders engagement in Port Harcourt, General Manager, Community and Stakeholders Relations of the company, Dr. Akpos Mezeh said the gesture was another way by which the company appreciates members of host communities for their continued support for their operations.
He said the empowerment resonates with the company’s core values that the communities comes first in her operations.
He used the avenue to counsel youths of its host communities to shun vandalism and other vices and take advantage of the many opportunities provided by the company to better their lives.
”Today is yet another day for us to reward our communities. They have supported us unreservedly in the fight against pipeline vandalism and it’s clear that we are succeeding in that direction.
”So today’s exercise was another way of saying thank you to the communities.
”So I want to use this opportunity to urge our community youths to continue to support us in the fight against pipeline vandalism.
”They should shun any kind of vices and ensure that the communities are peaceful, ensure that production continue to increase for the benefit of the country and the communities, ” Mezeh said.
He said the company was determined to see that the beneficiaries succeed in their respective businesses, noting that a monitoring mechanism has been put in place to check the progress of beneficiaries.
Mezeh informed the stakeholders that the company was winning the war against pipeline vandalism as it recorded zero infractions on the TNP and EGN in their areas of operations in the outgoing month.
”We are having zero infraction on the pipeline in our area of operation. There will be no incident and that shows that we are winning the fight against pipeline vandalism.
”We want to attribute this success to the communities who have been cooperating with us, ” he added.
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the meeting, lauded the company for the women empowerment initiatives.
King of Emohua Kingdom in Rivers State, HRM, Eze Seargent Awuse, recalled that the company had last month, rolled out youths empowerment. He expressed deep satisfaction with the company’s operations.
”Last sitting you rolled out scholarship for our youths and today you have rolled out women empowerment. We owe you thanks also for securing the infrastructure feeding this nation. Your company has in very significant way made it possible for more oil to flow with less vandalisation, ” he said.
On her part, the Ada Ekpeye-Logbo, Dr. Patricia Ogbonnaya, thanked the company for listening to the appeal of the women to include them in their empowerment packages.
She said: “PINL has made us benefit from the oil on our land. We thank you for this empowerment and I want to put it on record and to the Federal Government that PINL is doing more than their assignment. “
She also noted PINL’s impact on the environment as she said that some species of fishes which had earlier disappeared from their rivers due to pollution are now coming back.
Beneficiaries of the empowerment scheme, Mrs Mercy Edward from Rumuekpe community in Emohua and Mrs Rose Michael from Eneka community in Obio/ Akpor assured the company of maximum utilisation of the resources made available to them by the company.
