Delta vows implementation of pacts between oil majors, host communities

• Restates USAID partnership to get residents potable water, others
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has assured of the implementation of the General Memoranda of Understanding (GMOUs) between host communities and oil companies operating in Delta State.

He gave the assurance at the palace of Ebenanaowei of Ogulagha, Capt. Joseph I. Timiyan, while opening the Warri Medical and Welfare Outreach organised by Britannia-U Limited through Lilyford Foundation geared at providing care and other welfare packages for women.

Represented by the Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Prince Emman Amgbaduba, the governor urged host communities to be peaceful and law-abiding, assuring them that he would ensure that that the oil firms fulfil their obligations.

Commending the company for the exercise on account of the symbiotic relationship it had established with the people, Okowa greeted the monarch on his leadership prowess.

He said: “As a state, we are interested in peaceful relations between oil companies operating in the state and their host communities. We have restructured the Ministry of Oil and Gas with the creation of a Compliance Monitoring Department to monitor the implementation of GMOUs reached by oil companies and their host communities.”

In his remarks, the traditional ruler thanked the state government for the construction of roads and other developmental efforts in the kingdom.

Also, the firm’s Managing Director, Mrs. Uju Ifejika, commended the governor for creating an enabling environment for investors in the oil and gas sector, just as she thanked the people of Ogulagha for their continued support.

Besides, the state government has reassured effective water, sanitation and hygiene (E-WASH) through its partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Consequently, it is to get the management of the newly created Delta State Urban Water Corporation and Sanitation (DUWCS) to provide 600,000 urban residents and 70,000 properties with two million litres of water daily.

In this respect, officials of the Ministry of Water Resources, management staff of the Water Corporation as well as civil society organisations and resource persons from USAID have engaged in Asaba to rid the corporation of the usual civil service bottlenecks and enshrine a fiscal responsibility.

Both the state government and USAID are ensuring all that is needed to make DUWCS perform maximally was on ground thus ongoing workshops, training and retraining on strategic planning for exposure to international best practices.