By KUNLE KALEJAYE
Energia/Oando Joint Venture, Operators of Obodeti Marginal Fields (Oil Mining Leases 56) have taken a giant stride to sustaine peace in troubled oil rich Niger Delta region by empowering the youths of its Host/Impacted communities through formal education and skill acquisition program.

Engergia/Oando JV which was awarded OML 56 by the Federal Government in 2003 have currently embarked on a youth capacity training program in Warri where 31 youths from Emu Ebendo and Obodugwa-Ogume are being trained for the future.

According to the Managing Director of Energia Limited, Felix Amieyeofori said the company has collaborated with various skills acquisition centers for entrepreneurship programs for selected youths from the host communities.

“There are two groups slated for the training program. One is the Educational group while the second is the Entrepreneurship group.

“The educational group are those that we will send to school while the entrepreneur group will acquire skills from skill centers. Some will be for one year while others will be for six months and the plan is that by the time they are coming out we will set them up.”

He stressed that the aim of the program is to transform the lives of the youths in the communities positively so that people can see that oil is not a course but a blessing if it is handle well.

Director of Mind Foundation, one of the Skills Acquisition Center working with Energia/Oando, Mrs. Onere Irebe said the companies’ wants to impact positive things in the lives of people living in the communities where they have their operations and the youths constitute a large portion of their communities.

“This program is actually aimed at the youths who are unemployed or under- employ or who don’t have skills; they are not able to participate meaningfully in their communities. The program is therefore design to build their skills and also make them employable, self-employed or wage employed.

Like any other Niger Delta Oil and Gas Campany, Amieyeofori said Energia/Oando JV have had their own share of communities’ issues.

“But as a way of correcting some of the ills in the industry, the Joint Venture entered into a Global Memorandum of Understanding, GMOU with its host and impacted communities with the Delta State Government as a witness in 2009.

“The GMOU provided for the setting up of a TRUST to manage the crude proceeds accruable to these communities,” he said.

However in 2010, the MD noted that a Global Trust was registered out of which two Trust Boards-the Energia Host Community Trust Board (EHCTB) and Energia Impacted Communities Trust Board were Inaugurated.

Vanguard gathered that in all a total of six communities are involved in the TRUST which include: Emu-Ebendo, the host community, Obodugwa-Ogume, Umusadege, Isumpe, Umusan and Ogbeani as the impacted communities.

Speaking at the commissioning of the Trust Fund Projects in Emu Ebendo- Ndukwa West Local Government Area of Delta State, Felix Amieyeofori said the TRUST has disbursed over of $2.9 million to all communities which is coming from the JV present production level.