A litany of projects abandoned by multinational oil companies in some communities in Bayelsa State has become a source of worry for the state government.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Oil and Gas Matters, Diekivie Ikiogha, who disclosed this at a meeting with oil companies and host communities in Yenagoa, said arrangement had been concluded with the firms towards completing the projects.
Neglect of projects in host communities by oil firms had caused friction between both parties, leading to invasion of flow stations and kidnap of oil workers by communities and youths in the Niger Delta region.
The governor’s aide informed that the oil firms� new Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) would take care of such problems, stressing that funds meant for any project would be deposited in the community�s special account. According to him, the special account would be jointly managed by the benefiting communities, oil firms and the state government.
“Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will work with the communities in the process of formulating and signing the GMoU with the oil firms. The new initiative will put a stop to the issue of abandoned projects,” he said.
Earlier, the Community Interface Coordinator (Southern Swamp) of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Edesiri Akpomudjere, said the GMoU would enable them execute a more focused development package for their host communities.
Akpomudjere reasoned that the concept would also put the development of communities in their own hands, noting that this would check the fragmentation of oil firms, often caused by third parties.
The SPDC official assured that the company would remain committed to the development of its host communities, urging stakeholders to view the GMoU as an indication of positive change.
In their separate comments, representatives of the communities advised the oil firms to establish functional offices in Yenagoa to ease communication between them and host communities.