Eben Enasco Benin
Acting President of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has assured oil-producing communities in Edo state of the federal government’s support in resolving the lingering problems in the communities.
Osinbajo gave this assurance during a stakeholders meeting with oil-producing communities at New Era College in Benin on Monday.
He noted that the federal government was aware of the problems in the oil-producing communities of the state and was making efforts to resolve them.
‘’The Federal government has gone into partnership with host communities as they represent the future of the country. Our visits to all oil-producing communities in the country is to understand the problems in these communities and seek a new vision for them”, he said.
Professor Osinbajo also revealed that over 4,000 graduates from the state had been included in the federal government’s N-Power Graduate Programme and some of them had been deployed to the oil producing communities in the state.
Meanwhile, he also disclosed that the amnesty programme was not for selected communities,but noting that the federal government would ensure that all the host communities benefited from it.
On the issue of abandoned projects, he assured the people of Edo State that all the unfinished projects in the host communities would be completed, adding that any contractors who had embezzled funds would be prosecuted accordingly.
He lauded the host communities for peaceful conduct over a period spanning more than 40 years, especially for the absence of issues relating to oil theft and pipeline vandalism in the area while he also debunked claims that lack of security was preventing him from visiting some areas.
Earlier, Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State had revealed that there were 38 oil-producing communities and 205 oil wells in the state.
The governor said that the state was ready to work with the Federal government to bring more development to the oil-producing areas.
According to him, the state government would engage the youths trained by the amnesty programme in its agricultural initiative.
He said, “The state will no longer allow any federal agency or parastatal to execute programmes which do not meet up with the state’s master plan’’.
The governor suggested that the Acting President should plan another visit to the state to assess the level development in the oil producing communities.
He also urged the acting president to review the reports on the development of the Niger Delta region.
