As the crises in the Niger Delta region continue to attract attention worldwide, oil and gas companies doing business in the area have been advised to emphasize community needs in their programmes to avoid incurring the wrath of their host communities.
Professor Pat Utomi who stated this in his paper presented at a one day conference on communications organized by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in Port Harcourt also said one reason behind the constant friction between oil bearing communities and the multinational oil companies was the failure of the latter to develop programmes and projects in line with the people�s interest
According to Utomi who was represented by Mr. Austin Nweize, the people�s perception of the system was that of strong injustice against them so effort should be made by these multinationals carrying on in their land to give them a sense of belonging.
He also cautioned against the application of force when attempting to resolve conflicts as over the years dialogue had shown to be an essential and reliable instrument in conflict resolution, even as he added that public relations unit should not shut the people out of information.
The renowned professor also enjoined these companies to ensure their operations conform to the new model in vogue where communities are carried along on matters of developmental projects for them.
On his part, the Group General Manager Research and Development, NNPC, Mr. Austin Oniwon challenged the corporation to rise up to contemporary challenges. He said it was high time it moved beyond petrol and filling station matters which the public perceived to be its responsibility and become a major player in the hydrocarbon value chain.
�NNPC should see as its mission now how to add value to the nation�s hydrocarbon project. Hence, we delve into power generation, production of fossil fuel etc�
Austin who got a standing ovation for his presentation decried the slow growth rate of the corporation towards meeting challenges.
Other speakers like Barrister Kezie Ogaziechi and Mr.Bashir Abdullah in their separate papers reminded those in charge of NNPC image to be accessible at all time as breakdown in communication could create severe problems for any organization.