CDC Chairman Wants Oil Firms To End Gas Flaring

The Chairman, Community Development Committee (CDC) of Ogbele, in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, Mr. Jerry Okpara has called, on multi-national oil companies in the Niger Delta region to stop gas flaring.
Okpara who spoke to our correspondent in an exclusive interview recently urged companies operating in the country to seek alternatives to gas flaring in order to check the incessant health hazards caused by their operations to the people.
Okpara particularly called on the Niger Delta Petroleum Resources, an oil drilling company located in the Community to step up its community development service to the people.
He decried the absence of essential amenities in Ogbele community despite the number of years that the company has operated in the area.
The CDC boss said it would not be too much for the company to provide, electricity and transformers, portable drinking water, motorable roads and a comprehensive health centre amongst others to the community.
He said this would give the people sense of belonging which would cushion the effect of the health hazards occasioned by the economic activity of the company.
The Chairman also called on the Rivers State government to build a secondary school in ogbele Community.
According to him, students from the Community are made to trek long distances everyday to attend schools in distant locations thereby exposing them disadvantaged in that area.