Governor slams oil majors for neglecting host communities

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has decried the poor attitude of multinational oil companies operating in the state toward the welfare of their host communities.

Obaseki made the disclosure while hosting the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Up Stream), when the committee members paid him a courtesy visit on Friday in Benin.

According to him, the impact of multinational oil companies operating in the state is not felt anywhere.

He said that the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company was the heart of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and was located in the state but that its impact was never felt in the state.

The governor lamented that other multinational companies operating in the state were similarly, not making any impact on the economy of the state.

He said “To us this is an issue of concern and we want the house and indeed the National Assembly to look into it.

“Companies operating in states should be made to contribute and add value to their host states, while federal agencies should be encouraged to do more for the states.’’

The governor told the committee members, led by the committee Chairman Sen. Omotayo Alasodura, that the most salient issue in the state was availability of security.

He said that there was no record of violence or attacks on oil facilities in the state, a development that should have made the companies to make positive impact in their host communities.

Alasodura said that the committee members were in the state for an oversight function on some federal institutions in the state.

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He congratulated the governor on his recent election, expressing his optimism that the governor would build on the legacies of the previous administration.

Some of the senators on the visit include Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi, Clifford Ordia and Francis Alimikhena.