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Ben Dunno, Warri
As part of efforts to reduce hunger in their host communities, Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited HEOSL, operator of OML30 assets, and JV Partners, Nigerian Petroluem Development Company and Shoreline Natural Resources Ltd, have donated food items and medical equipment worth over N22m as palliatives to 112 communities and 25 selected health institutions in OML30.
Making the presentation on behalf of the company at the Ughelli Production Centre (UPC), Ughelli, the Head, Community Relations, Mr. Sylvester Okoh, said the items which included 560 bags of rice, 200 litres of hand sanitizers, 62 temperature guns, 2,500 face masks and 2,500 hand gloves among others, was to complement government’s efforts at tackling hunger in the land.
He urged the community leaders to ensure fair distribution of the items to all and sundry, especially the elderly, vulnerables mostly those with special disabilities, orphanages, requesting that women in the communities should be given topmost priority.
According to him, ”for us in HEOSL as corporate citizens in the state and partners to the OML 30 host communities, this has been an issue of intense concern. We are all learning at this time and adjusting our strategies based on the developing global and national realities, which are worsened by the freefall in the price of oil globally.
”We, therefore, urge all Deltans especially our host communities to uphold this collective responsibility by staying safe, observing the health rules and directives of the state government in curbing the transmission of the virus.”
Meanwhile, the Delta State Commissioner for Oil and Gas, Hon. Emman Amgbaduba, who received the items on behalf of the state government, appreciated HEOSL for providing the palliatives to it’s host communities and urged other oil firms operating in the state to emulate same.
Hon. Morris Idiovwa, chairman of OML30 Community Development Board CDB, after receiving the items, thanked HEOSL and JV partners NPDC and Shoreline Natural Resources Ltd (SNRL) for their kind gesture and called on all the cluster chairmen and community leaders to ensure that the food items got to the indigenes of the host communities without rancour, bias or favouritism.
”While we cooperate with the state government to keep to all directives, we want to significantly thank HERITAGE for their insightful contributions which will measurably touch the lives of our people.
“While appreciating Heritage for graciously proving these palliatives to cushion the hunger that people are facing on the land right now, we are even more grateful because we recognise that Heritage is doing this in the midst of the fall in oil prices which will definitely have a negative impact on their business.
”We want to express our immense gratitude to HEOSL and its JV Partners for their compassion towards the host communities and we urge them to still do more when called upon. More so, we thank HEOSL for their leadership initiative in reaching the masses through the most common medium – the radio.
“Fellow Deltans, currently there is a massive sensitization on radio advising all Deltans on ways to stop the transmission of the rapidly-spreading coronavirus.”
Also, Hon. Godwin Adode, executive chairman of Ughelli North Local Government Area, commended Heritage and the JV partners for the timely donations, compassion and support as a corporate social responsive organisation, and urged the host communities to uphold this collective responsibility by staying safe, observing the health rules and directives in curbing the transmission of the virus.
