Mkpoikana Udoma
20 December 2017, Sweetcrude, Port Harcourt – The Managing Director, Port Harcourt Refining Company Limited, PHRC, Mr. Shehu Malami, has urged indigenes of its Eleme host communities in Eleme Local Government Area of Rivers State to protect oil and gas installations in their locality so as to guarantee the safety of their environment.
He made the call during a free medical outreach organised by the company for members of the communities as part of its corporate social responsibility, CSR.
Malami, who was represented at the event by the Manager, Administration, Mr. Martins Toluhi, pleaded with the host communities to help in protecting PHRC’s installations in their area.
He noted that destruction of the company’s facilities endangered the health of the people, emphasising on the need for such installations that carries the nation’s source of wealth to be protected.
“Host communities should ensure that oil and gas installations in their locality are protected to guarantee the safety of their environment; this has been working and should be sustained.
“We call on our host communities to continue on the part of peace and negotiation using the Joint Community Relations Committee platform to resolve whatever differences of issues that may arise in the course of our relationship.
“We encourage you to share information and concerns with us in a form that fosters the good and cordial relationship already existing between us,” he said.
Over 3,000 people benefited from the free medical outreach organised by the PHRC.
The two-day exercise, which held in Ogale, the headquarters of Eleme, offered free medical diagnosis, free drugs and treated glasses to patients.
On their part, the people of Eleme commended the management of PHRC for the two-day medical outreach in the area, saying it would meet their health challenges occasioned by oil impacts in the area.
The staff-bearer of Ogale community, Chief Aki Oluka, said that years of oil pollution in Ogoni has left many residents with different health challenges.
Oluka expressed disappointment that despite the recommendation by the United Nations Environmental Programme’s report on Ogoni that the health of the people was affected by the devastation of oil operations over the years and should be attended to by the Federal Government as part of the clean-up of Ogoniland, the much-needed medical attention has not been provided by the government.