Disaster Victims in Cross River Assured of Support

Disaster Victims in Cross River Assured of Support

EFFIONG EKPO-CALABAR

Victims of natural disasters in Cross River State have been assured of pragmatic palliative measures to normalize their conditions. The Director General, State Emergency Management Agency, Mr. Vincent Aquah (MON) gave the assurance while presenting relief materials to victims of food disaster in Mbarakom in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State.

Mr. Aquah said that government's sensitivity to the plight of victims has never dwindled and would be backed up by cushioning them with relief materials. The Director-General who was represented by the Assistant Director, Mr. David Akate, stated that the Senator Liyel Imoke-led administration has always proven itself to be reliable and dependable and has demonstrated such zeal in many fora.

According to him, it was on the generosity of the Governor that the relief materials including bags of cement, towels, buckets, mats and jerry cans, were distributed to the victims. The SEMA DG used the opportunity to appeal to the people of the state to be prompt in reporting disaster cases to the Agency for action, as it is formidably prepared to respond to such situations within the shortest possible time.

He assured that the ten minutes response target to any disaster situation across the state would soon be a thing of reality, especially as the Grassroots Emergency Volunteer Corps was being established in every local government area of the state. In a remark, the House of Assembly member for Akamkpa I State Constituency, Hon. Itaya Asuquo, commended the State Emergency Management Agency for its responsiveness to its mandate, and urged the DG SEMA to continue to be steadfast in his dogged pursuit of disaster management in the state.

Hon. Itaya also thanked the state governor and his cabinet for being consistent in its people oriented status and renewed the loyalty of the people of Akamkpa to his administration. The Assembly man urged the people to continue to keep faith in the PDP administration of the state, in order to sustain the benefits accruing from it. He challenged the youths of Akamkpa to do everything possible to keep the peace in order to engender the desired progress of the state.

Also speaking, the Village Head of Mbarakom group of villages, Ntufam Felix Itakpang, recalled the magnanimity displayed to the people of the area who suffered windstorm disaster some time ago, and that the government of Senator Liyel Imoke is endowed with unbridled charisma. The Village Head expressed appreciation to the DG SEMA for responding promptly to the plight of his people.

In a response, one of the victims, Madam Ache Nsibong Elgie, whose house was substantially destroyed by the flood, said that she was overwhelmed by the gesture and thanked the government for it. She expressed the hope that the materials would help in no small way to rebuild her house.We Want NECO – PTA tells CRSG

Lawmakers Commend Total's CSR Programmes

Members of the Committee on P e t r o l e u m Resources (Upstream) in the the Lower House of the National Assembly, have praised Total E&P Nigeria Limited for its laudable Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. According to the deputy chairman of the committee, Hon. Emmanuel Jime, "We can say that from what we have seen, the partnership that Total has with NNPC is working for the interest of our country.

Before we came here, we've had the opportunity of visiting other companies and I can say with all sense of responsibility that what Total has shown us is almost second to none in all we've seen. We want to encourage them to continue along these lines you have shown us, especially in your area of corporate social responsibility". The committee members recently visited Total's facilities in Port Harcourt and operational area in OML 58 in Rivers State. The visit which was part of their oversight functions, afforded the lawmakers an opportunity to appreciate the challenges faced by the company in the course of doing its business.

The 11-man committee was led by the Deputy Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Jime. Others on the entourage were: Hon. J.J. Idachaba, Hon. Austine Nwachukwu, Hon. Chinyere Igwe, Hon. Herman Hembe, Hon. Sani Mohammed Aliyu, Hon. Chuka Nwauwa, Hon. Abass Olopoenia, Hon. Ifaliyu Isibor, Hon. Aminu Koko and Hon. Babagana Banki. On hand to receive them were the Deputy Managing Director (Technical), Mr. Roger Poirier, the Executive Director (External Affairs), Mr. John Addeh; Executive General Manager JV (Offshore), Mr. Patrick Ngene; Executive General Manager JV (Onshore), Mr. Joel Hervochon; General Manager JVA (Onshore), Mr. Musa Ahmadu Kida; General Manager (Security) Mohammed Gimba, Deputy General Manager JV (Onshore) Production, Mr. Ikechi Anozie, and other management staff. Mr. Poirier welcomed the visitors and said their coming was part of the company's continuing dialogue in its efforts to improve the development of its host communities.

He noted: "Our senior partners, who share the philosophy and implementation of our Corporate Social Responsibility projects in our communities and nation-wide have placed on record their estimation of Total as the best company in Nigeria in the area of sustainable development of our communities." "We are proud of our record while agreeing that in concert with the relevant National Assembly committees, the NNPC, communities and other stakeholders, we all have a responsibility to continue to dialogue together to continuously improve performance in this area," he added.

Mr. Poirier pleaded with the lawmakers to use their good offices to stem the tide of sabotage of pipelines and other industry assets, especially in the Niger Delta.