Edo State Government has assured the people of the three oil-producing local government areas of the state that it would execute quality and sustainable projects for them.
The Edo Commissioner for Special Duties, Oil and Gas, Mr Orobosa Omo-Ojo, gave the assurance in Benin in an interview.
Omo-Ojo said that the projects would be executed through the Edo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (EDSOPADEC).
Omo-Ojo said that EDSOPADEC was currently executing 169 various projects that would help to bring speedy development to the councils – Ovia North-East, Orhionmwon and Ikpoba-Okha.
He said that the projects, which included school buildings, solar-powered bore-holes and health centres, were in different stages of completion.
He said that the agency also embarked on the construction of a 10-km road in each of the the areas to link their communities.
“Because of the state government’s shift in ideology in relation to leadership, it has embarked on the execution of quality and sustainable projects for the people. “The relationship between my ministry and the agencies is that of supervision; it is our responsibility to ensure that these projects are executed according to specifications of the designs.
The commissioner said that the mediation had resulted in the optimisation of oil production by the operating companies in the area.
Members of the oil producing communities in the state had in a meeting with the state government urged it to ensure that they fully benefited from the oil resources in the area.
A spokesperson of the communities, Dr Sam Igbineweka, had during the meeting, alleged that the level of development in the area was not commiserate with the amount of resources being exploited by oil companies.
