When the people of Okerewa community secured their shares of the dividends from Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Limited, the hope and excitement was understandable given that since the 1970s, hundreds of hectares of the community farmlands have been acquired and put to use by the Federal Government owned Eleme Petrochemical as it is then called.
So, in 2006 when Indorama acquired the Petrochemical and Federal Government conceded 7.5 shares to the Indorama Host Communities, the people believed respite had come and reward for the years of sacrifice is within reach, but it did not quite turn out exactly as the people hoped for, instead there was years of stagnation and eventual crisis.
There was crisis of trust, transparency and accountability which led to protracted legal battles, destruction of properties, abduction and even deaths, one of which was an illustrious son and youth leader of Okerewa community, Aji Ngoya aged 31 who had agitated for justice and accountability from the then collectors and managers of the dividends of the Host Communities from Indorama.
By 2012 to 2017 when the first tranche of the share dividends was effectively received from Indorama Eleme Petrochemical Company Ltd by the collectors known as Elano Investments Limited and even in 2018 when the Elano VS The Host Community crisis raged in the court rooms from Port Harcourt to Lagos, Calabar and Abuja, no meaningful or significant development; Infrastructure or otherwise could be sighted anywhere in the host communities, instead it was crisis, stagnation and regret.
However, all that changed after intervention, mediation and an amicable resolution was effectively reached within 2019 through 2021 and 2022.
People of the host communities of Indorama agreed to the idea of selecting some members of the community to form a Board of Trustees registered with the CAC for a period of Three years to manage their share dividends from Indorama as according to them that will not only ensure they manage their dividends themselves but will ensure the impact trickles down to the very grassroot.
For the people of Okerewa community, fresh air and true change was birthed when the people unanimously chose Benjamin Ngokanya to head their Trust to manage their shares of the dividend from Indorama Eleme Petrochemical. The community Trust was immediately registered as Okerewa Community Development Initiative (OCDI).
Swinging into action, the Benjamin Ngokanya led Trust came up with a spending blue print known as the 40/40/20 sharing formula to guide the community and the Trust in her financial dealings and spendings. The 40/40/20 sharing formula entails that from the community’s share dividends from Indorama, 40 percent will be for cash sharing to members of Okerewa community which can be described as stomach infrastructure, 40 percent for projects and 20 percent for savings, investments and human capital development, though in her 3rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) in July 2024, the sharing formula was modified to a 45/35/20 sharing formula meaning 45 percent for cash sharing, 35 percent for projects and 20 percent for savings, investments and human capital development. Beginning with the first Annual General Meeting at the community town hall, Benjamin Ngokanya immediately rolled out a comprehensive investment plan for the community which includes road construction, human capital development, Education, Security amongst others. All stakeholders of Okerewa present at the AGM gave their support to ensure even development of all areas of the Community. This led to the signing of a Ten (10) years plan with a construction company known as Chanita Construction Company to construct all the roads of Okerewa community in phases.
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The program of the Community Trust also known as the Okerewa Community Development Initiative (OCDI) by the 2nd Annual General Meeting in the Community had been collated and illustrated in handbooks and brochures with the full incorporation of the Okerewa Cooperative which is the business investment and management arm of the Community Development initiative, there is also the Okerewa Smart Farm, one of the signature projects that began on the 12th August 2023 and had commenced operations of digital services and sales of agricultural produce by 12th July 2024.
Today, the Benjamin Ngokanya led Trust has earned the trust of the community by always giving detailed account of it yearly financial dealings during her Annual General Meetings (AGM).
A peep at some of the Achievements of Okerewa community in the last 3 years after the emergence of the Benjamin Ngokanya led Trust;
SECURITY (Pictures)
Insecurity is the bane of any community, this means development can only thrive in a secured environment. And as they say, security remains the cardinal or focal point of every purposeful leadership This was one of the first areas of investment by the Okerewa Trust immediately they assumed office. The Trust immediately trained and set up a community base security outfit that works hand in hand with the various security agencies. They are positioned at various spot in the community. This move has drastically impacted the community as business now thrive with influx of non-indigenes renting houses. The 2023 Okerewa Carnival was a testament to the peace and security being enjoyed in the community as the Four days event lasted into the wee hours of the morning without any security breach.
ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
As noted above, the Okerewa Community Trust entered a 10 years agreement with a construction company, Chanita Constructions Company to construct all her internal roads in phases, this was due to the dilapidated state of all Okerewa internal roads whci experiences flooding whenever there was rainfall. The people of Okerewa now ply their some of their roads whether during rain or sunshine as most roads in the community has been constructed.
EDUCATION AND SKILL ACQUISITION
From a robust educational initiative encompassing bursary and outright academic scholarship both local and foreign, undergraduate and post graduate to skill acquisition and personal development, Okerewa Community through her Trust has trained her Youths and even the Elderly in skills including Computer Training, Welding and Fabrication amongst other skills and has given university scholarship to her undergraduates worth Five Hundred Thousand naira (N500,000) per annum for the total number of schooling years, Okerewa Community through her Trust has given out foreign postgraduate scholarship to her citizen.last year, 92 persons comprising Okerewa Sons and Daughters including non-indigenes were trained in entrepreneurial skill. Some of them have been engaged in the Okerewa Digital Smart Farm while some will be engaged in phases.
SOCIAL NEEDS AND INVESTMENT IN BUSINESS
With a vision of making Okerewa Community a hub of developments infrastructurally, educationally, commercially, the Okerewa Community Trust led by Hon. Benjamin Ngokanya continued to invest in mouthwatering and innovative projects that has direct impact on the livelihood and growth of the people.
Apart from the Okerewa Cooperative set up by the Okerewa Trust to give out loans to boost small scale businesses and assist community members to meet up financial challenges, the Digital Smart Farm which will employ a whole lot of persons and boost business activities in the area is a another project by the Okerewa Trust that has commenced operation in the community.
Activities of the Okerewa Cooperative:
The Okerewa Trust thought it wise to start up a cooperative in order to aid community members to readily have capital for investing in business and carryout projects that will impact their livelihood and improve their standard of living. This led to the constituting of a Cooperative which gives out loans with minimal interest rates to both indigenes and non-indigenes. The Cooperative also carries out businesses such as rentals, POS transactions amongst others. This in turns generates income for the community.
Some Specifications of The Okerewa Digital Smart Farm:
As for the Okerewa Digital Smart Farm, it is also another means of generating income for the community, providing employment opportunities and making Okerewa a hub for investors.
The Okerewa Digital Smart Farm is on a 10 plots of land for its first phase with Eighteen (18) farm units which comprises of poultry farm layers, broilers, quail farm, rabbit farm, maggot production farm, snail farm, grass cutter farm, geese, duck, goats, pigs, catfish amongst others. It also has a small industrial park that will have a mini water processing plant, chicken processing plant, cold-room and blast. There is also a control room where all the farm units are networked.
The Okerewa Digital Smart Farm is being constructed in a way that it will be a farm without odour, and will be an amusement park where people will come for training, visit, site seeing. It also pride itself of an accommodation that can accommodate 8 guests per time, a bush bar, VIP bush bar amongst other thrilling features.
It’s an ecosystem of business focusing on agriculture, technology and entrepreneurship.
Business Implication:
The Okerewa Digital Smart Farm is a business hub on its own, it’s an institute that allows for training of persons on different farm units and various ways of farming with technology for better productivity.
It will also link other businesses around with major bulk buyers, suppliers or distributors and processors.
The farm is a self-sustaining venture, it generates revenue, it will be an employment hub, about 25 persons will be employed working full time. Beyond that, revenue will be generated monthly from training of persons, site seeing, photo-shoot since it’s an ornamental farm and sales of farm produce to already established markets.
OKEREWA STREET NAMING/MAPPING
Every street in Okerewa Community now has its description with each avenue designated and all houses numbered.
The reason for this indication of various areas in Okerewa is not just to honor or pay tribute to noble persons in the community who most of the streets are named after, it is a pointer to our preparation for the future.
In today’s world of Global Positioning System (GPS) where technology drives development, each part of Okerewa community is poised for identification on Google Map as the ease of navigation in the community can aid anyone to specify or distinguish every street, avenue or apartment from another.
Okerewa being among the first communities in the Niger Delta to seize this initiative is positioning her Sons and Daughters including residents for a future full of opportunities.
Amongst other firsts, the Street Naming and Numbering of houses is not just to characterize places in the community but it is an initiative attuned to the future, a future where places are located via Google Map and identified virtually to ease for accessibility, development, business growth and general credibility.
That Future is here and Okerewa is prepared and positioned for it.
Today, Okerewa is known as the Lead in Host Community Development not just in Rivers State but in Nigeria as a whole.
From Overseas Scholarship to Road Construction, Education and Empowerment, Support System and Creative development, Okerewa has been in the lead.
Pictures of Okerewa before 2023 and 2024 tell the difference.
The Morale, Standard and Harmony in the Community proves the fact.
The reviews, recognitions and commendations from outside bears witness that Okerewa have moved from a struggling community to a thriving community leading the trail in Community development among the Host Communities in the Country.
