THE Deputy
Governor of Delta State, Barr. Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, has tasked oil companies
and oil-bearing communities to respectively rev up Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) and protect oil facilities in their domain, to enhance
revenue for the development of the state and nation.
Otuaro also
assured of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s development focus for oil communities as
the Comrade Jude Ukori-led Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation
(EGCDF), accompanied by officials of Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), called on
him on Monday, to seek developmental intervention from the state government.
Ukori said
oil communities of Egbema and Gbaramatu kingdoms deserved developmental
projects from a state government it contributes huge oil revenues to, more so
from Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to whom they rendered massive votes and were active
partners in halting the worrisome oil facility vandalism at the inception of
the administration.
Pointer reported that; Responding,
Otuaro said: “Oil bearing communities had no fair deal. Now, there is
development paradigm shift. Collaboration with oil communities is a must for
the Delta State government as what the EGCDF is doing fits squarely with the
SMART Agenda of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State. There are state
government approved projects in Okerenkoko, Oporoza, Ogbotobo and in many other
places. In Escravos, there is a departure from past neglect. We know there is
need for more and we will do more as the financial resources of the state
improve.”
Otuaro, who
last year visited the creeks as Chairman of the Delta State Advocacy Committee
Against Oil Facility Vandalism to preach peace, tasked the EGCDF to deepen
intelligence to know the cause so that they will more capably assist government
in containing the growing sophistication that oil facility vandalism has
assumed.
On the
continued capacity of Chevron’s Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMOU) that
has aided the community development aspirations of EGCDF, Otuaro appealed: “I
say this with a sense of responsibility. I know funds released to communities
are based on business decisions of the oil companies, but these funds should be
upwardly reviewed in line with contemporary realities. We need to appreciate
the dynamics of time.”
Otuaro
emphasised that despite assuming duty at a time when abysmally low crude oil
price combined with resurgence of oil facility vandalism to effect blows on the
state’s economy; largely dependent on oil, Governor Okowa was determinedly
discharging his SMART Agenda towards prosperity for all Deltans.
As a way of
dissuading youths from unwholesome oil facility vandalism, Otuaro said Okowa’s
SMART Agenda has several programmes like STEP, YAGEP and others designed to
make youth’s live productive lives rather than constitute insecurity.
Expressing
hope of positive response from the State Government during his appeal for state
intervention via the Deputy Governor, Comrade Ukori, said the only state
government assistance to Egbema/Gbaramatu oil communities came in the way of
science equipments from the Deputy Governor when Barr. Otuaro was a
Commissioner in DESOPADEC. While calling on CNL to increase EGCDF funds to
expand the size of its development programmes, Ukori however revealed that the
CNL-sponsored GMOU initiative had enabled EGCDF to execute 116 projects in
Agriculture, Power, Health, Education and other sectors while 18 projects are
ongoing.
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