The Ijaw professionals Association (IPA) on Sunday urged the
Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to formalize
artisanal refineries to create jobs in the Niger Delta.
IPA made the appeal in a statement made available to newsmen
on Monday in Yenagoa.
It called on NCDMB to enhance the participation of oil
communities in the oil and gas sector.
The group urged the board to drive an effective
collaborative strategy for converting unregulated artisanal refining into a
standardized and sustainable local economy of mini-refineries.
The statement signed by Mr Iniruo Wills, President of the
association, applauded the NCDMB for the growth of Nigerian content in the oil
and gas sector but said that a lot still needs to be done.
IPA congratulated Mr. Simbi Wabote, Executive Secretary,
NMDB for his appointment and harped on the need to use to his office to enhance
the participation of host communities and their indigenes in the petroleum
industry.
The group called on the Board to address the matter issues
in a measurable way, to the benefit of communities and the country.
According to IPA, the issues include environmental impact of
the petroleum sector with regards to pollution control to ensure that the
sector operated in an environmentally sustainable manner.
It noted there was an urgent need to develop adequate
indigenous and in-country capacity for dealing with environmental disasters
that the petroleum industry has inflicted on host communities since the
discovery of oil some 60 years ago.
According to IPA, indigenous capacity building by NCMDB was
required in the areas of organizational, logistical, human and financial
capacities of oil bearing communities to empower them to participate and
compete favorably in the sector.
IPA, umbrella body of Ijaw professionals, prayed for God’s
enabling grace upon Wabote and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring
Board.
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