*** Says company’s routine flaring dropped by 97% in past 10-year
BY AKUDORO GLORIA
Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL), one of the international oil companies in Nigeria has announced plans to provide media capacity building to over 300 Journalists by the end of 2024.
The CNL said the initiative not only aimed at improving professional capacity and build lasting partnerships with its media stakeholders but also for the greater development of the society.
The General-Manager, Policy, Government and Public Affairs, Chevron Nigeria, Mr. Esimaje Birkinn, spoke during the second segment of the company’s sponsored media capacity building programme in collaboration with the Nigerian Union of Journalists NUJ Abuja Council on Tuesday, 27 August 2024. The One-Day Media Training was themed: “Digital Tools As Opportunity in Promoting Good Governance”.
Birkinn who was represented by the Manager Communications, Mr. Victor Anyaegbudike, acknowledged the impactful role of media in reporting the oil and gas industry and providing effective perspectives to the complex industry operations.
“We continue to partner with the media for the development of the society. That is why CNL sponsors the Advanced Writing and Reporting Skills (AWARES) programme in collaboration with the Pan Atlantic University, Lagos. Over 120 journalists have benefitted from the programme since its inception in 2014. Last year, we also trained over 90 journalists in Lagos, Asaba and Abuja to build the capacity of media practitioners to enhance their capacity to perform their duties.
“We have progressed the efforts in our media capacity building for journalists this year by training additional 90 journalists drawn from the NUJ Lagos, Abuja and Warri in Delta State. By the end of this year, 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 emphasized.
He added that “through programmes such as AWARES and the Chevron-NUJ capacity building programmes, we help to improve professional capacity and build lasting partnerships with our media stakeholders.”
Explaining further on human investments that delivers long-term transformative returns, Mr. Birkinn affirmed CNL’s supports for Nigerian Content development by providing employment to Nigerians, and contract opportunities in all its projects averagely estimated at over $1 billion every year.
“We also contribute to the sustainable development of communities where we operate. The Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU), a community-led participatory partnership model for community engagement and sustainable development was pioneered by CNL in 2005. Since inception of the GMoU, CNL has contributed billions of naira to the Regional Development Committees (RDCs) that represent the communities in its area of operations to execute hundreds of projects in the communities through a governance model that ensures transparency and accountability.
“Currently, we are working with the relevant government and community stakeholders to transit to the Host Community Development Trusts under the Petroleum Industry Act. Also, through Chevron’s Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), we are impacting hundreds of lives in the Niger Delta and supporting economic empowerment in the region.
“Besides oil exploration and production, Chevron Nigeria Limited is the highest contributor of high-quality domestic gas in Nigeria since 2015. We are committed to lowering carbon emission and reducing gas flaring in Nigeria. Through investments in gathering and processing of associated gas, routine flaring has been reduced by over 97% in the past 10 years in CNL’s operations,” said Mr. Brikinn.
Recall that in February 2018, Chevron Nigeria was awarded as the greatest contributor of domestic gas in Nigeria at the Nigerian International Petroleum Summit (NIPS) in Abuja.
CNL supplies about 40 Per cent of Nigeria’s gas consumption and has been the highest supplier of high quality domestic gas in Nigeria since 2015, according to Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission formerly Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).
Earlier, the Chairman, Nigerian Union of Journalists, Abuja Council, Mr. Osaretin Osadebamwen, thanked Chevron Nigeria for this year’s sponsorship of human capacity development programme, saying that this is no doubt an immense contribution to the development of journalists and even the art of Journalism development in Nigeria.
The media training focused on three most carefully selected topics, namely: Data Journalism and Social Media Reporting; Understanding the New Media and the Power of Trend; and Digital Ethics, Privacy Right and the Public Good.
