Oil Firm Executes Projects In Rivers Communities

In a bid to improve the standard of living of the host communities, Eroton Oil Exploration and Production has executed some life-impacting projects in Bille and Krakrama communities of Rivers State.
Eroton E & P is a joint venture partner with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the operation of Oil Mining License (OML) 18 which until 2014 belonged to Shell in the Cawthine channels and areas around Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Some of the projects executed in Bille include furnishing of the palace of Amanyanabo of Bille Kingdom and administrative block, renovation and equipping of a 6-bed health centre, installation of 10,000 litres borehole water scheme at Jike-Ama, installation of 10 solar panel street lights at Touma, donation of 50 plastic tables and 5000 plastic chairs for Bille women forum and construction of one-line drainage channel of 245 metres at Opu-Osia community, among others.
The Tide reports that the projects were executed under the GMoU platform managed by the Degema Local Government Area (DELGA) 1 Cluster Development Board (CDB).
Speaking at the event last Monday in Bille, Eroton E&P Community Affairs representative, Emmanuel Toby, appreciated the efforts of Bille community to keep peace in the Kingdom.
He said: “Its one area we see you utilise the funds we are giving and I will tell you the truth, any time you come forward with project, we look at it very well and we seem to bend, compared to other clusters”.
“This women empowerment thing we did, in other communities, we did not accept it because we are scared that the money will just go off. But for the trust we have in Bille, we have bent because we know you will manage it well. We are very grateful to your people, for the station has been peaceful”.

The chairman of DELGA 1 Cluster Development Board, Firimabo Bob Ogunga, thanked Eroton E&P for commissioning the sustainable community developments projects in the area, saying that some of the projects initiated through the GMoU platform have been completed while others were ongoing.

According to him, the ongoing projects include provision of laboratory equipment at community secondary school Bille, construction of 6-room concrete public toilet at Iwo Ama, Bille; training of three Bille indigenes in oil well compression and reservoiur engineering and provision of borehole water at Opu Billeboko Ama.

In his remarks, the chairman, Bille Kingdom Chiefs’ Council, Alabo Benneth Okpokiye Dokubo OPu commended Eroton for its efforts to lift the Bille community out of poverty of development.

Similarly, in Krakrama community, Eroton commissioned projects which include installation of 10,000 litres of water scheme split at three strategic locations, renovation and equipping of six class-room block for Community Secondary School, Krakrama, provision of 200 classroom desks and inscription of Joint Venture Logo for Krakrama Community Secondary School and women support scheme through provision of sewing machine and hair dressing items.

The Amayanabo of Krakrama, King Iwari Gibson Bala, who was represented by Chief Albert Light Dabobiongbo, lauded Eroton for improving the living standard of the community through people-oriented projects, assuring that the community would always keep faith with the company.

The Eroton Community Affairs representative, Emmanuel Toby, said that the company would continue to ensure that projects executed in the host communities were viable and sustainable on a long term basis, adding that the company would also continue to award scholarships to indigenes of Krakrama and Bille at secondary and tertiary levels of education, as well as in the area of medical outreach.