Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) Ltd says communities in Bayelsa State received N21.71 billion for development projects between 2006 and 2017 fiscal year.
According to the General Manager of External Relations, Igo Weli, the sum represents the highest investment so far by SPDC and her partners in the Niger Delta.
Mr. Weli stated this while presenting the 2018 Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes to journalists in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State.
He further explained that the payments represent the total funds disbursed to 14 Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) clusters in the state since the inception of this mode of community development in 2006.
He said “If you subtract this amount out of the N41.10 billion invested in the 37 active GMoU clusters in the Niger Delta, it shows that the Bayelsa State remittances represent more than half of the total sum spent on GMoUs in the region.
“Part of the reason for the record expenditure is the number of project GMoUs which we implemented, for example, Gbaran – Ubie integrated oil and gas development.
“We also have a shallow offshore production in Bayelsa State, which alone has four GMoU clusters. We’re pleased with the contributions of the various GMoU clusters to the development of Bayelsa State.”
Giving further insight, he said the GMoU clusters in Bayelsa State blazed the trail in community development, operating transport schemes, providing skills training and building amenities.
He said “for example, the Kou Cluster trained over 40 fishermen and women in modern fishing methods and gave them boats, outboard engines and fishing gears. Another cluster, Iduwini Development Foundation, sponsored several students to the United States.”
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the Shell group is implementing an Oloibiri Health Programme (OHP), aimed at strengthening health care in Ogbia Local Government Area, as part of projects to mark Nigeria’s centenary anniversary.
“The OHP has delivered household health services for more than 8,300 persons in 2,814 homes. The Kolo General Hospital – the referral hub for the local government areas – has been strengthened and upgraded to serve the delivery model with five health-for-life centres (which includes Oloibiri) and 15 ward health centres.
“Also, Shell’s flagship youth enterprise development programme, LiveWIRE has reached 600 persons in Bayelsa State since it was launched in Nigeria in 2003. The beneficiaries have been given entrepreneurial training and start-up grants to help them commence businesses that are also employing people.
“On education, in addition to the regular SPDC scholarship which began in the 1950s, some 160 students from Bayelsa State benefitted from the cradle-to-career programme which gives fully-funded sponsorship to top secondary schools in Nigeria.
“Young graduates from Bayelsa State have also continued to enjoy awards under the Niger Delta Post Graduate Scholarship Programme which was established in 2010 to grow the Nigerian talent pipeline for the oil and gas industry through scholarships at three UK universities, Imperial College London, University College London and University of Leeds,” Weli added.
While receiving the 2018 Shell Nigeria Briefing Notes, the chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa state council, Mr. John Angese, thanked Shell for making information about their operations available to journalists and urged them to sustain the relationship they enjoyed from the media.