Chevron Canvasses Accurate Oil, Gas Reporting

The General Manager (Policy, Government and Public Affairs) in Chevron Nigeria Limited, Mr Femi Odumagbo, on Friday advised journalists to ensure accurate reporting of issues on the oil and gas sector.

Odumagbo gave the advice when executive members of the National Association of Energy Correspondents (NAEC) paid him a courtesy visit at the company’s headquarters in Lagos.

He said the sector was a sensitive one which required accurate reporting, and urged journalists to always get their facts correct before publishing. 

The manager said that some of the publications on oil spill in the Niger Delta region were inaccurate and impacted negatively on the activities of operators.

“Chevron has recorded less than 1 per cent of oil spill which is mostly caused during operational discharge and other third party factors.

“We, at Chevron, are very conscious of our environment where we operate. We have the interests of the host communities and the country at heart in whatever we are doing,’’ he said.

Odumagbo said that Chevron had committed nearly $1billion to the development of host communities, as a result of which they had remained peaceful.

He urged Nigerians not to be worried by  the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, saying: “What was experienced in the Gulf of Mexico cannot happen here in Nigeria.

“All the oil companies in Nigeria will work together to ensure quick response to reported cases of spill”, he said.

“There is no spill that happened that we did not handle within 24 to 48 hours. It is a fallacy for people to compare the spill in Gulf of Mexico to what happens here in Nigeria,” he added.

Odumagbo said that Chevron would organise capacity building workshops and facility tours to acquaint journalists with the operational environment and techniques of the company.

Mr Emeka Ugwuanyi, the chairman of NAEC, commended the initiative of Chevron to ensure that journalists covering the beat were well informed through capacity building workshops and facility tours.

He assured the company that members of the association would always strive to “balance” their reports before publishing, and urged Chevron to respond promptly to reporters’ enquiries on its operations.