By Emma ARUBI

WARRI – IN fulfillment of one of the objectives of the 2005 Global Memorandum of Understanding, GMOU, signed with the Itsekiri ethnic nationality of Delta State by Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, the oil giant has commissioned over 100 housing units and training centres in various communities across Iwere land.

Commissioning the various projects at each community, CNL General Manager, Government and Public Affairs, Mr. Deji Haastrup, commended the leadership of the Itsekiri Regional Development Council, saying that “the achievement is another lucid expression of Itsekiri RDC’s determination to bring better life to our people in the communities”.

He said he believes that the 100 housing and training centre projects being commissioned and those earlier commissioned are significant efforts towards realizing the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs,and addressing the need for comfortable shelter and training centres in the communities.Haastrup noted that the completion of the projects restates the facts that the GMoU has continued to meet its set objectives by making communities play a leadership role in their own development and ensuring huge empowerment and capacity building for the people.

He revealed that CNL have learnt a lot from the current model and are progressing into what he termed GMoU+, promising that it is not only a reflection of their desire to excel, but a will to continue to build on a partnership model that has been so successful in the past several years.

The PGPA manager said the GMoU+ will help CNL to improve on their ability to monitor and evaluate the impact of the system on the communities as they continue to realize their individual and collective aspirations in the process.

He commended Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for his support and personal interest in the IRDC projects success so far, even as he stated that the NNPC/CNL Joint Venture is equally grateful to the various community leaders and people for their commitment and support in actualizing the objectives of the GMoU, noting that the sustainability of the partnership, with mutual inherent benefits depends on an enabling business environment and charged the communities to always create that enabling condition of work.