Seplat Petroleum Development Company has reaffirmed its resolve to develop communities in Imo State, its operating base, and ensure that more lives are positively impacted in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Chairman, Dr. ABC Orjiako, said this at the weekend when he led a management team of the company to visit Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo and leaders of host communities in Ohaji and others, at the Government House, Owerri.
Uzodinma, during the visit, which was aimed at fostering better relationship among stakeholders to drive sustainable development in the state, lauded Seplat’s success story in Nigeria and globally.
He charged the chairman and his team to take advantage of his shared prosperity model of governance, which is the super structure of Rehabilitation, Reconstruction and Recovery of key economic and political institutions in the state and host communities in particular.
“There is a new order. We may not be able to do business as usual in Ohaji where the traditional ruler will not be recognised in decision making and taking of the companies doing business in his community,” Uzodinma stated, urging Seplat to continue engaging Imo people in the company’s activities.
“If the community is good to host your business, the people from the community should also be good to be part of the management. If you think they do not have the requisite qualifications, train them to your standard and use them,” Uzodinma said.
In line with the development of key Infrastructure in Imo, the governor further urged Seplat to take advantage of a Federal Government tax relief and embark on the re(construction) of one or two federal roads in Imo.
He, however, encouraged Seplat to do more town hall meetings with its host communities, where the needs of the people would be collectively assessed based on global standards regardless of the existing Corporate Social Responsibility programmes.
Acco5rding to him, Seplat will gain more by engaging the traditional rulers and the town union presidents on areas of synergy between the host community and the company, stressing that his administration was interested in establishing a petro-chemical industry and gas fabrication plant that could power a planned industrial layout in Owerri.
In his remarks, Orjiako agreed with the governor on the development plans, explaining that “Seplat places premium on quality of life of the people.”
Also speaking, the traditional ruler of Assa in Ohaji, Eze Emmanuel Aso, commended Uzodinma for giving them the opportunity to interface with Seplat once again.
