By Substance Nature
An indigenous oil company with a strong stake in Akwa Ibom State, Oriental Energy Resources Limited, has built a multi-purpose empowerment centre, designated as Mbo Youths Empowerment Centre.
The facility is coming on the heels of the company’s determined effort to continue to impact on host communities and to deliberately create more employment opportunities for youths in its operational areas as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
At the formal commissioning of the centre on Wednesday, the event created a ceaseless atmosphere of jubilation among youths at the site of the project in Ewang, Mbo Local Government Area.
Youths, traditional rulers and stakeholders who applauded the initiative, told our reporters that of the five oil-related companies operating in Mbo, Oriental Energy Resources stood out as the only company that has demonstrated conscious commitment to corporate citizenship, with great potential for more in the future.
They unanimously observed that the company has over the years practically demonstrated a genuine interest in the growth and development of Mbo Local Government in particular and Akwa Ibom State at large.
Delivering his address at the event, the managing director of Oriental Resources, Mr Ignatius Ifelayo, stated that as a corporate policy, Oriental Energy Resources values and considers communities in its areas of operation as critical stakeholders in the business, hence the company’s commitment to paying back to the communities through proactive stakeholder engagement and strategic social investment, which have resulted in life-enhancing projects that empower members of the host communities, especially the youth, by creating employment opportunities and self-reliance modalities.
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Stating categorically the reason for the construction of the empowerment centre, Ifelayo said: “Oriental Energy embarked on the construction of the centre to demonstrate its commitment to capacity building and employment opportunities for youths in Mbo Local Government Area. The overall goal of the project is to empower youths in Mbo communities with self-sustaining business ventures, knowledge and skills to participate in social development through a viable income generation activity”.
The managing director, who appreciated elders and youths of Mbo for the robust relationship existing between them and the company as well as the conducive atmosphere they have created for the company to thrive, further disclosed that the idea of the centre was the brainchild of a Joint Needs Assessment by Mbo Community Relations Committee.
Part of the needs, according to him, was finding out that there was no high-quality printing and reprographics facility within the five local governments in Oro Nation, a hitherto challenge that saw individuals and organizations travel to Uyo for such services.
Mr Ifelayo added, “the location of this facility in Enwang will significantly reduce, if not eliminate, the travel time and cut cost”.
Components of the fenced-around youth empowerment centre, with a borehole, which is largely a printing and reprographics facility, include separate cord room, digital room, graphics room, lithography and flex room. Others are monography/heat room, materials, accessories room, café, administrative offices –all with modern conveniences.
The MD who was accompanied by other directors in the company disclosed that a-15 member board of trustees headed by the paramount ruler of Mbo, Obong Asukwo Okon Abang, and management staff, who have undergone training on Sustainable Business Development and Management has been constituted to oversee the administration and management of the project. This is in addition to experts from Oriental Energy and trained youths from the host community who were on hand to handle or operate the facility as well as train others over time.
The executive chairman of Mbo LGA, Hon. Asukwo Eyo represented at the event by his vice, Hon. Mary Ating said the project was timely and well-thought-out but asked for more given the huge contributions of Mbo to the growth of oil companies in Akwa Ibom State.
Earlier in his remark, the paramount ruler of Mbo, Obong Abang, thanked the company for what he called community development ventures and a deep interest in adding value to the growth of Mbo.
Describing Mbo as a peaceful community, the traditional ruler, who spoke on behalf of other members of Mbo Traditional Rulers Council, also called on Mbo youths to freely avail themselves of the opportunity for self-enhancement and employment creation.
“Oriental Energy has added great value to our communities through employment and ventures like this. We commend them and will continue to support their undertakings here”, Obong Abang assured.
Others, who spoke, unanimously described Oriental Energy as a company always conscious of its roles to the community and who has demonstrated the same in many ways. They listed such community-development endeavours to include training of more than 100 youths in various skills acquisition and empowerment programmes; provision of scholarship for over 300 university graduates, and employment of their indigenes in the company.
In a post-event interview with journalists, the state commissioner for environment and petroleum resources, Mr Charles Udoh, lauded Oriental Energy for the venture and said it was in line with Governor Udom Emmanuel’s blueprint for employment and revenue generation for the state.
Describing Akwa Ibom as investors’ hub on account of her enduring peace and socio-economic policies of Governor Emmanuel, the commissioner said the corporate responsibility pattern of Oriental Energy was worthy of imitation by other organizations in the state.
He, however, challenged the company to further support the state government’s call for oil companies to relocate or have an office in Akwa Ibom State. “The benefits are enormous. It will create employment opportunities for our youths; boost revenue for the state, and add value to the overall growth and development of the state”, he argued.
Supporting the commissioner was his counterpart from the Ministry of Labour and Manpower Development, Pastor Ekanem Ibuot, who was represented by a director in the ministry.
The high point of the event was the signing of handover documents between the company and the community and commissioning of the facility by the commissioner for environment and petroleum resources, Mr Charles Udoh, flanked by others.
In addition to the empowerment centre, the MD and his team also inspected an ongoing science laboratory project which is about 70 per cent completed.
This, according to the company, is in addition to the a-100 unit ongoing housing estate project, both of which are to be commissioned soon.
Members of Mbo community stated that Oriental Energy Resources has been in Mbo since 2009 and that throughout these years, the company has offered them life-enhancing projects of different kinds.
