The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)/Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL) Joint Venture says routine flaring in it’s operations has been significantly reduced in the past 10 years.
Mr Olusoga Oduselu, General Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs of CNL disclosed this on Thursday at the one-day Chevron-sponsored Capacity Building Programme for Journalists.
Oduselu was represented at the event by Mr Akinbola Praise, Communications Representative of the CNL.
The programme was held in collaboration with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Warri Correspondents Chapel.
Oduselu said that the company had been able to achieve the significant successes in the routine flaring through investments in gathering and processing of associated gas.
He said that besides oil exploration and production, the oil multinational has remained the highest contributor of high-quality domestic gas in Nigeria since 2015.
Oduselu said that Chevron supports Nigerian Content development by providing employment to Nigerians.
He added that Chevron provide contract opportunities in all it’s projects to an estimated over $1 billion on the average annually.
Oduselu said that the Chevron was committed to the development and sustainability of its host communities through the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) which it initiated in 2005.
According to him, Chevron through the GMoU has contributed billions of Naira since inception to the Regional Development Committees (RDCs) that represent the communities in its area of operations.
“We recognise that the success of the larger society invariably translates to success in our business.
“We also believe it is in our long-term interest to add value to society as we create value for our stakeholders
“The vision of Chevron is to be the global energy company most admired for its People, Partnership and Performance.
“We believe that energy is essential to modern life, and providing that energy is a profound responsibility.
“Our purpose is to develop the affordable, reliable, ever-cleaner energy that enables human progress around the world,” he said.
Oduselu acknowledged the impactful role of the media in reporting the oil and gas industry as well as providing effective perspectives to the complex industry operations.
“We have progressed the efforts in our media capacity building for journalists in 2024 by training additional 90 journalists drawn from the NUJ Lagos, Abuja, and Warri in Delta.
“By the end of 2024, this initiative would have benefitted over 180 media practitioners bringing the total to over 300 journalists who have participated in the CNL-sponsored capacity building programmes,” he said.
Prof. Rim-Rukeh Akpofure, the Vice Chancellor, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun (FUPRE) delivered a lecture on a topic titled: Environmental Degradation in the Niger Delta: Responsibilities of the Mass Media in the 21st century.
Rim-Rukeh urged the media to do more in terms of advocacy and awareness creation to save the planet from total collapse.
“In an era where our planet health’s is increasingly precarious, Mass Media stands out as a vital beacon of hope and tools for change,” he said.
Also, Associate Prof. Majority Oji, Head of Department, Mass Communication, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka dwelt on the topic:Repositioning the Media for Effective and Efficient Reportage of the IOCs and Host Communities.
Oji urged the media to have good understanding of the host communities as well mastered terminologies used in the oil and gas industry.
He also urged the journalists to strive for details and balance their reports.
On her part, Dr Favour Atubi of the Department of Social Science Education, DELSU spoke on the topic: Host Communities: Social Responsibilities of the Mass Media in the post-GMoU era.
Atubi said that it was the duty of the media to create awareness on the danger of environmental pollution and degradation particularly among the host communities.
She also urged the media to among others to demand that the the fund released through the GMoU were judiciously used for the development of the host communities.