The National Coordinator of a foremost nongovernmental organisation, the Center for Peace and Environmental Justice, CEPEJ, Chief Sheriff Mulade, has revealed that one of the benefits arising from the implementation of the Petroluem Industry Act, PIA, for host communities is its eradication of waste through the phasing out of project imposition and duplication.

The peace and environmental advocate, Chief Mulade made this known during CEPEJ's commencement from Tuesday, June 20, 2023, of the phase of the PIA's Needs Assessment Revalidation Exercise for host communities in some parts of the Niger Delta region as part of its PIA awareness creation programme.

Among some of the communities the environmental and peace agency visited for the revalidation exercise include Umuosele (Obi-Iloh) / Umuezeiogoli and Ogbe-Izu /Adonishaka communities at the Egbaoma field (OML 38) operated by Platform Petroleum Limited, all in Ukwani LGA of Delta State.

Speaking on the exercise, the National Coordinator of CEPEJ, Chief Sheriff Mulade, speaking on the awareness of the exercise explained that "the PIA has different stages. We have done sensitization, training of the people, needs assessment. We are now going for the revalidation of the Needs Assessment, for the people to reconfirm all that have been said and to sign the document. After this, we will officially present them with the complete Needs Assessment.

"For these ones, their board of trustees have been established, management and advisory has been established. Their fund has been opened and money paid into their account. But to gain access to the funds you must first embark on the Needs Assessment. So, this is the process."

The National Coordinator, who is the Ibe Serimowei of Gbaramatu Kingdom in the Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, further disclosed that with the presentation of the Needs Assessment, the host community will be able to also call for partnership for the execution of their development plan.

"On the presentation of the complete Needs Assessment, it becomes a certified document of a five-year plan of the community. The community will be able to use it to call for partnership with the likes of NDDC, DESOPADEC to key in because only the company alone will not be able to do it.

"What this means is that the era of imposition and duplication of projects is gone. So, if you want to do anything for those communities you must look into their Needs Assessment," Chief Mulade added.

The Revalidation of Needs Assessment exercise was conducted by senior officials of CEPEJ, among whom are Mr. Ideh Samuel, Senior Programmes Manager; Mr. Daniel Tonfawei, Programmes Manager, Communication, Environment/ Humanitarian Services; Mrs. Agidi Tina, Corporate Manager, Administration & Finance; Mr. Olasupo Olatoke, ICT Manager, and Mr. David Mulade, Intern.

Participants at the Revalidation of Needs Assessment, which was a follow-up of the Needs Assessment exercise that was earlier conducted by CEPEJ, express their gratitude for the seamless PIA implementation process and thanked CEPEJ for the PIA Needs Assessment and Revalidation Exercise.

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