By Oye Chukwujekwu, Asaba
Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that host communities of Independent Power Plants (IPP) must be first line beneficiaries of the projects.
The governor spoke in Asaba, while welcoming the top management of Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) and stakeholders from Okpai Community in Ndokwa East Local Government Area.
Governor Okowa also urged companies to always engage their host communities proactively to ensure peace and reduce agitations and confrontations.
The governor expressed satisfaction with NAOC’s plan to construct two sub-stations at Okpai and Kwale aimed at providing adequate electricity supply to both communities, and sued for cooperation and support from all stakeholders.
“The community is important to the implementation of projects as we need peaceful environment for investments to take place, This project is being designed in the best possible way this time around to deliver over 450 mega watts of electricity. Apart from generation, they are also requesting land for sub-stations in Okpai and Kwale. We thank God for that because it will enable us to have power being evacuated to meet with the needs of the immediate environment. I want to appreciate this level of planning which will help to reduce all forms of restiveness, and help to improve on the community, company relationship”, he said.
Senator Okowa urged the communities to support the early delivery of the project, stressing, “We need the cooperation of all in the state to be able to deliver the project on time. I want to thank you for accepting to provide land for the project and appeal to you to give maximum cooperation to the company to achieve the set goals”.
Mr. Dennis Masi, Stakeholders Management and Community Development Division Manager, NAOC, had said that they were in Asaba to solicit the support of the state government on the construction of the 530 megawatts Phase II Independent Power Plant (IPP) in Okpai and to formally present the contractor for the project, SAIPEM CO, to the government and the community, assuring that every stakeholder would be carried along in the construction.