The minister of Niger Delta, Chief Ufot Ekaette has lampooned an unnamed multinational oil company for turning huge turn over annually without any meaningful impact on its host community.
The minister who spoke the minds of members of the host community at a parley with executives of major oil companies disclosed that the said company raked in as much as $39 billion in 2007 alone, but lamented that the huge profit did not translate to better living standards for indigenes of the community.
He said his ministry has been inundated with similar complaints since it was created and that the complaints were the same in all the Niger Delta states that he has so far visited.
Chief Ekaette pointed accused the oil companies form insulting the people by focusing on project that have little or no impact on the communities rather on capital projects that will have longer impact. According to him, they tend to want to focus on as renovation of town halls, health centres, donation of buses, boats and fishing gears, instead of embarking on capital projects or giving employment to indigenes..
According to the minister, Ekaete, the communities annoyance with notable oil company also stemmed form the fact that it also flares the highest quantity of gas any where in the world. He equally expressed shock that ten oil companies operating in the Niger Delta are reluctant to put a little smile on the faces of the community where they operate.
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