Okowa implores oil companies to improve CSR programmes
The Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, has urged oil companies operating in the country to improve on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), in host communities to facilitate peaceful coexistence.
The governor made this appeal in Kwale on Friday, while inspecting the construction of the multi billion Naira Kwale-Beneku Bridge across Ase River, linking Ndokwa East and West Local Government Areas in the State, saying that the multinational companies as corporate citizens must of a necessity continue to fulfill their duties as development partners by contributing meaningfully to the socioeconomic and infrastructure upgrades of host communities under the CSR arrangement.
The governor complained that the bridge ought to be constructed by AGIP and other oil companies operating in the area, noting that Ndokwa nation is rated as one of the critical areas for oil exploration in the country.
He wondered why oil companies deliberately looked the other way for decades, before his administration took up the project as part of the ongoing massive roads infrastructure development across the three senatorial districts in the state.
He said that he “actually felt that the oil companies, particularly AGIP, should have before now constructed a bridge across this place but since they couldn’t do it, we cannot ignore our people across this place.
“A lot of oil facilities are on this other side and there is a need to open up access to the place from Ndokwa West to Ndokwa East Local Government Area because it’s quite important.
“I remember coming on campaign using the pontoon to cross; on one of the occasions when we were trying to cross, some of our people fell into the river and we cannot continue to allow such to happen because the people across matter a lot to us.”
Okowa concluded that “They are part of the state and more so, they are part of the oil and gas producing communities in Nigeria.
“I believe that a lot of work has been done but we will follow through with them to ensure that they deliver the work on target.
“I am glad that the water level at the peak of the rains has been taken care of with the height of the bridge during the construction.”
