BY Godwin Oghre
Sapele- A three-day workshop on Partnership Building with Host Communities Development Committees, CDCC, for Effective Operation of Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, organised by Seplat Petroleum Development Company Ltd, which started last week, will be rounded up today in Sapele, Delta State.

Seplat, operators of the NPDC/Seplat Joint Venture, organised the workshop for its six major and 32 minor host communities in the Niger Delta region.

Managing Director of the company, Mr. Austin Avuru, who declared the workshop opened, enjoined representatives of the host communities to carry the message of peace and unity to their various communities when the forum closes.

He charged them to always trust the programmes of the company to enable the company contribute to the development of the region.

Speaking at the forum, the Base Manager of the company, Prince Chukwuma Igelenyah, said the company acquired the oil facilities it is operating from Shell Petroleum Development Company, for a 10-year lease, starting from 1999 to 2019.

Assuring participants of the company’s continued support in the areas of human capital and infrastructural development in the host communities, Igelenyah cautioned the host communities not to turn hostile against the staff and the facilities of the company and not engage in the vandalisation of oil intallations.

He said the consequence of vandalisation may include lack of attention to the communities’ socio-economic demands from the company, which could lead to severe underdevelopment.

Other resource persons, who spoke at the forum were: Mr. Ben Emeka, Chief M. Mukoro and Mr. Endurance Jumbo. They harped on the need for a harmonious relationship between the communities and the company.