Give Youth Training Priority, Controller Tells Oil communities

Oil producing communities have been urged to give priority attention to the training of their youths and pay less attention to sharing of monies offered them by oil companies operating in their areas.

The Acting Controller, Federal Ministry of Environment, Bayelsa State branch, Mrs Timi Benaebi Eunice, gave the advice at a workshop organized for oil producing communities from Rivers and Bayelsa States, in Port Harcourt.

The controller said, sharing of few millions of Naira offered to communities by the oil companies appears to be more valued by the people instead of asking the companies to train their children in skills that would qualify them to work in these multinational companies.

The controller said, by having qualified sons and daughters, the companies would no longer deny the communities employment chances on the excuse that they were not qualified.

Commenting on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) required before projects were being executed, the Acting Controller said, though the ministry did not draft the EIA, it rather has the mandate to preserve and also make available to communities and other stakeholders.

She advised the community representatives to make request for copies as same would be made available to them.

She equally urged communities to report formally to the ministry, incidences of oil spill or landslide promising that the ministry would respond to any such notice timely.

According to her, the ministry staff are not present in all communities but would required from communities affected by oil spill or any environmental threat to bring the development to their notice for immediate response.