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Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan yesterday called on the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria to adopt the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) model of Chevron Nigeria Limited as part of measures to ensure peace in the oil bearing communities of the country.
Delivering a keynote address at the GMoU Fair and Best Practices Exhibition holding at Abuja, the Governor said that the Chevron initiative helps in accountability and transparency in the administration of community resources.
According to him, it has eliminated the allegations that some community leaders embezzle the fund which was supposed to be used for community development, thereby ensuring sustained development of oil bearing communities.
“The GMoU has helped to reduce disharmony and disunity among communities, which would have arisen due to alleged embezzlement of community funds since the communities are engaged in the day to day running of the programme”, he stated.
Besides, Governor Uduaghan said that the Chevron model has “contributed to the success of Government’s peace and security agenda as conflict in the region which hitherto led to needless destruction of some communities, is now a thing of the past”.
Tracing the history of the GMoU to eleven years ago, the Governor said that the mutual distrust amongst community people as well as anger over Chevron’s dictation of development projects for their host communities, have been erased.
In particular, Dr Uduaghan observed that being a product of the Niger Delta crisis, the GMoU has achieved more than the expectations of the people as it has made its Regional Development Committees breeding grounds for capacity building to the benefit of the people.
The Chairman and managing director of Chevron Nigeria, Mr. Andrew Fawthrop said apart from the progress made in the development of the communities, the GMoU has entrenched a culture of sustainable development.
Underlining Chevron’s desire to work together with the local people to achieve development goals, Fawthrop said the exhibition affords the eight Regional Development Committees of the NNPC-Chevron GMoU a chance to showcase their achievements so far.
