…As Coy receives commendations
By: Felix Ikpotor
Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Ltd (PINL) has concluded a week-long palliatives distribution to its 215 host communities cutting across four Niger Delta states of Abia, Bayelsa, Imo and Rivers which are all on the Eastern corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline.
This is as the communities have lauded the company for their show of love to their host communities.
The exercise which began on Monday last week ended on Saturday with the company reaching out to benefitting communities assembled at six different strategic distribution points.
The communities were gifted different food items including rice, beans, garri, Indomie, salt, among others.
The exercise which is part of the company’s social corporate responsibilities to its host communities was led by Miss Deborah Okunbo, Chief Executive Officer, Learn and Leadwise Resources Limited, assisted by Dr. Akpos Mezeh, Community Relations Consultant for PINL.
Port Harcourt Spectator reports that the exercise began last Monday with a press conference during which Miss Okumbo, consultants to PINL on Corporate Social Responsibility programme, explained that the exercise was part of a bouquet of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme packaged by PINL for its pipeline host communities.
She explained that preceding the palliatives distribution was a consultation of 11 top traditional rulers of the host communities to get their buy-in into the planned exercise, which she said was well received leading to a hitch-free exercise.
The exercise commenced at the Tai local government secretariat at Saapkenwa, where about 35 communities across Andoni, Bonny Eleme, Gokana and Tai local government areas received their palliatives before moving to Owaza community in Ukwa West local government area of Abia State on Tuesday, were 32 different communities in Abia and Rivers States also received theirs.
On Wednesday, the team moved to Bayelsa State where 52 communities of Southern Ijaw, Ogbia, and Yenagoa LGAs received in addition to food palliatives, mattresses and blankets as part of relief package for the recent flooding experienced by some communities in the areas.
Also, on Thursday, 19 pipeline host communities of Ohaji/Egbema local government in Imo States got theirs while on Friday, the PINL food palliatives train landed at Ahoada East where 37 communities from Ahoada East, Ahoada West, Abual/Odual and Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni local government areas of Rivers State received theirs before concluding concluded at Emohua Local Government Secretariat on Saturday where communities in Emohua, Etche, Ikwerre and Obio/Akpor local government areas of Rivers State received their own palliatives.
Speaking to the communities at Emohua on the last day of distribution, Miss Deborah Okunbo, re-echoed the message to all benefitting communities which was to appreciate them for their support and soliciting for the continuous protection of the pipelines.
She restated that; “The purpose of this is to first appreciate the support and corporation we’ve enjoyed from the host communities along this axis and also to solicit for more support and effort towards curbing pipeline vandalism, crude oil theft and illegal bunkering,” she said.
“We want to emphasise that the main target of this CSR Programme is to give the people a sense of ownership and responsibility to the assets on their land, encourage them to be part of their security and protection thereby eliminating pipeline vandalism, oil theft and kpo-fire in the communities,” she added.
She assured the people that with their continued cooperation with the company, the CSR programme, which she said is a one-year programme would be concluded with medical outreach, skill acquisition, agricultural training, among others.
She encouraged youths of the communities to stop pipeline vandalism and channel their energies into productive ventures saying “If they’re able to contain that, then we’re able to increase production, the economy will get better. “I do understand that there are challenges all around, but if you’re innovative enough and intelligent enough to bust pipeline, you can actually use the intelligence to do something more positive. So what I would encourage is for them to look for better ways to channel their intelligence to doing productive and positive things that will bring progress not just to the individual but also to our communities at large because we see that when we burst pipelines it actually affects the environment, our lands become unuseful to us, we are not able to farm or fish, and such things affect the livelihoods of the people in the community,” she said.
Responding, a representatives of the benefitting communities, Chief Adolphus Nyegbeke Umesi, Paramount Ruler of Omuobizu and Chairman, Ibaa Council of Chiefs expressed appreciation to PINL for the gesture, describing it as the first of its kind to the communities.
He said; “We celebrate PINL, for the palliatives, we have not seen this before, but this one has motivated us to be here. That’s why we are patient, we are salivating, we are hoping, we are celebrating. He expressed the hope that PINL will not behave like other multinationals that have not treated them well while working on their land, assuring that bursting of pipelines would cease in the communities.
“My feeling is that these people will not be like other multinationals in our communities because what they’ve done now is a conviction that good things will come. And we also have assured them that vandalization has to stop. We have to make sure of that by working day and night, so, we just urge them to keep up the good work,” the paramount ruler said.
