Some indigenes of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality have received more engagement opportunities with Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) to protect the Trans Niger Pipeline.
The gesture aims to encourage local content by ensuring that foreigners do not benefit from what is due to the people, the Community Relations Consultant of PINL, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, has said.
Following this, stakeholders in Ijaw land have applauded PINL for engaging communities and other relevant stakeholders to ensure the effective security of the Trans Niger Pipeline.
The stakeholders spoke in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, during the second day of the PINL Stakeholders Engagement Meeting in the region, noting that the engagement of community members in securing the pipeline has given them a sense of belonging and participation.
President of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, Jonathan Lokpobiri, lauded the company for not opting for military personnel to secure the pipeline, emphasizing that by engaging community members, they have provided them with a sense of participation in their own security.
“In terms of the role that Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited has played in the lives of the people, I, personally, on behalf of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide, commend them. This is because they took the soft power approach. Many would have preferred to engage more of the military in manning communities, but they chose to involve more people and communities, thereby fostering community participation,” Lokpobiri stated.
Dr. Mezeh further stated that the business of pipeline surveillance requires steady engagement with stakeholders and community members to gather credible intelligence.
“In this meeting, we expect feedback from our community leaders and stakeholders so that we can improve because, as far as we are concerned, we have not yet reached where we ought to be, so there is always room for improvement.
“Of course, the pivotal role in pipeline surveillance is continuous engagement with stakeholders because if you do not engage with them, it would be difficult to understand the underlying problems.
“So, we have been able to reach out to all our stakeholders, including our non-state actors, kings, community leaders, and local government chairmen,” he stated.
The PINL Community Relations Consultant noted that the cordial relationship between the company and the communities has ensured zero infractions on the pipeline, calling for further efforts to reduce environmental degradation and increase the country’s revenue base.
“Because of the cordial relationship we have with the communities, we have been able to record zero infractions on the pipeline until the recent sabotage in Rivers State. We believe we are doing very well, and we pray that the support continues so that, at the end of the day, we can reduce environmental degradation in our communities, increase crude oil production, and generate more revenue for the Federal Government,” Mezeh added.
Mezeh disclosed that the firm has been actively involved in corporate social responsibility, dispute resolution between communities, and youth employment to ensure that youths in the communities are engaged and dissuaded from engaging in pipeline vandalism.
Speaking, HRM King Joshua Igbugburu, the Ebenanowei of Bomo Kingdom, commended the company for engaging communities in his domain and called on other surveillance companies to emulate them.
He stated that despite challenges in the region, he has ensured that his domain records zero infractions on the pipeline through continuous engagement with the youths.
“Let me use this opportunity to commend Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited, the operators in my domain. They are doing very well. They are taking care of the youths and chiefs and fulfilling their corporate social responsibilities. That is what we want.
“But there are companies operating in my domain that do not care about us. They do not acknowledge the presence of traditional rulers or community leaders but instead use their guns to intimidate people, and I condemn that. I must boldly state that other surveillance companies should emulate PINL,” he said.
Also, the Vice President 2 of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), Dr. Nengi James, rated the company 85 percent in terms of performance but advised that they should do more in corporate social responsibility.
He stated that the company should be more transparent with its empowerment processes to ensure accountability to the people.
“We are good people, and the crowd here shows that the company is doing well. However, the beneficiaries of the company’s empowerment programs should be made public, and the selection process should be open to everyone.
“This company, apart from your core operations, should focus on corporate social responsibility so that you remain accountable to the people,” Dr. James added.
While advising Ijaw youths to adopt more dialogue in their agitations, Lokpobiri also encouraged the company to involve those who may not have the capacity to vandalize pipelines or cause chaos in their activities.
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