‘Expect massive development in Ijawland’

The Chairman of Egbema Gbaramatu Communities Development Foundation (EGCDF), Jude Ukori, has reiterated  Chevron Nigeria Ltd’s (CNL) commitment to providing human and infrastructural development to the host communities.

Ukori, while being inaugurated alongside Chief Godspower Gbenekama and others, in Warri,  weekend, said EGCDF would provide a good atmosphere for further development.

“The EGCDF shall continue to  provide enabling environment for the smooth operations of Chevron and its subsidiaries, in a similar gesture, we expect Chevron and the government to yield to our yearnings and aspirations,” he noted.

He promised to run an all-inclusive government, calling on the Delta State government, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Ministry of Niger Delta, the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) as well as and Non Government Organisation to support the EGCDF to fast tract development of the host communities.

“Our common enemy include poverty, underdevelopment, and marginalization; successive governments and multi-nationals have not done enough for us, but as a people, we shall promote and sustain peace in our communities so as to attract the much-needed developments to our communities.

“Sincerely, there might be reasons for us to be aggrieved, but we must learn to embrace peaceful dialogue and shun all forms of violence in a bid to sustain peaceful coexistence amongst ourselves and our partners,” Ukori urged.

Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the new executive and spokesperson of the Gbaramatu Traditional Council, Chief Gbenekama, assured that the communities would be better for it under the present administration.

He said that the foundation would not only consolidate on the achievements of the outgoing regime, but improve on it.

He maintained that the foundation would focus more on developmental projects that would impact positively on the lives of the people in the area.

According to him, all the projects that had to do with scholarships and job creations would receive priority attention in the new administration.

In his speech, the immediate past chairman, Chief Michael Johnny, during his speech, said his administration completed and commissioned 116 projects.

He urged Egbema and Gbaramatu communities to give total support to  the new executive led by Jude Ukori.

Johnny thanked Chevron management, community leaders and youths of the communities associated with the EGCDF for their support and cooperation all through the period of his tenure in office.

He urged them to extend same gesture to the incoming Exco for the betterment and well being of the communities.