Host Communities Laud Shell’s N1bn GMoU

Govt inaugurates trust board, warns youth against restiveness

Host communities of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) Residential Area (RA) in Port Harcourt have commended the company for its commitment to spend about N1 billion in the communities in the next five years under the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) it signed with its host communities.

This came as the Rivers State Government declared that the GMoU would help to check restiveness in oil-bearing communities and warned youths in the state against disrupting the activities of companies operating in the state.

The communities made the commendation in Port Harcourt when the state Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Dr. John Ba zia, inaugurated the new Community Trust Board (CTB) to manage the N1 billion five- year GMoU between SPDC and its Residential Area (RA) Landlord Communities.

The Shell RA Landlord communities comprise Rumuorianwo and Rumuejiminehu in Rumuokwurusi as well as Rumuibek we and Mg bu es ila ru which are all in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state. They were led in the exercise by their traditional rulers.

Addressing journalists shortly after the inauguration of the CTB, Eze MorganAmadi, Eze Oha Okporo Okani-Eli Okwurusi kingdom, who signed for Mgbuesilaru Town, said he was delighted that SPDC was committing about N1 billion to the development of its RA host communities.

He also commending the state government for coordinating the GMoU and bringing it to conclusion with the inauguration of the CTBs.

Amadi also said: “You know part of the anger of the Niger Delta people is to make sure that they are part of the resources of the oil industry. For Shell to agree to invest about N1 Billion in this five-year GMOU, it is a remarkable thing.”

He also advised members of the CTB to ensure that their communities get the benefits of the GMOU such as scholarship, roads, infrastructure, youth, women and general wellbeing of their people.

In his own comments, the Paramount ruler of Rumuibekwe, Eze Ray Elewa, said the GMOU is a way of trying to develop the host communities.

Elewa said: “What we have done today is to bring development to our various communities and we are indeed grateful to SPDC and Rivers State Government for the successful outcome of today’s event.”

In his own presentation, Paramount Ruler of Rumuorianwo Community, Eze Simeon Wokoma, said: “What is happening here is that GMoU has been revived. We had GMoU in 2007 but after that there were grey areas that posed impediments to the process. But recently, putting our synergies together, SPDC agreed to revive GMoU. So we commend them for their compliance with the GMoU.

“We also commend the Rivers State Government that has been coordinating the communities and the company to work together. Both the Rivers State Government and Shell are collaborating to ensure there is peace.

He commended SPDC for its commitment to development of the communities and called on other companies to follow suit.

In his address at the inauguration of the CTBs, Rivers State Commissioner for Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Dr John Bazia, explained that the GMOU is a process that would discourage communities from disturbing the activities of corporate organisations in their various communities pointing out that instead of barricading offices of companies operating in their land, all that the people “need to do now is to do a petition to this ministry to say that a company has refused to do this, then we will invite the company and the community and amicably resolve the problem.”

Bazia explained, “As a government, we have come with this noble idea because before now, they used to say that those of us in Niger Delta are restive but I know that even in family, people would disagree but what is important is that we can disagree to agree, hence the need for this GMOU.

“The GMOU is one of the surest ways of driving development to all nooks and crannies of our state and I also believe that the corporate organisations that are here have taken so much from our people and there is need for them to give back to our people and this is the way to give back.”