Okomu Oil Palm Company in Edo State has reiterated its readiness to partner stakeholders as it pledged to sustain its Corporate Social Responsibilities to host communities.
A statement issued by the company’s Communications Officer, Mr Fidelis Olise, quoted Managing Director, Dr Graham Hefer as saying this when the leadership of the Western Zone of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) paid him a condolence/solidarity visit.
It said the event took place at the company’s headquarters in Okomu, near Iguobazuwa in Ovia South West local government area of the state on Tuesday and that the IYC’s delegation was led by Oluderimon Omaghomi.
“During the visit the IYC leadership commiserated with the company on the killing of a worker and the setting ablaze of a portion of the company’s plantation.
“It pledged to support the company to bring to an end the occurrence of further attacks on the company’s personnel, equipment and plantation.
“The IYC also pledged to organise the representative of the communities and also help in enlightening and training the community executives on their roles in proper representation of their communities in their engagement with the company.
“The need to organise larger stakeholder engagement within the communities was also explored,” the statement said.
It added that the idea of the company partnering the Presidential Amnesty programme for the training of the youth in the communities was also discussed.
It, however, expressed worry that “barely 20 hours after the solidarity visit of the IYC’’ in its attempts to end the repeated attacks on the company’s plantation, another group of armed men attacked the company.
It said that the attack was a replica of previous ones where hoodlums invaded the premises to loot the company’ wet rubber lumps.
It said, “during this latest attack, a head person was battered and the hoodlums forced him and other rubber tappers to carry out of the plantation wet rubber lumps that were collected by the tapper.”
The statement expressed disappointment that “gangsters have apparently taken over a portion of the rubber plantation and are now tapping the rubber trees themselves.’’
It called on security operatives in the state to step in and stop the destruction of the assets of the company by looters.
NAN recalls that the company had on Feb. 2, suspended operations in the aftermath of what the management described as “attack” on its facilities
