In anticipation of the soon to be commenced Train 7 ,a multi-billon naira project by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas ( NLNG)in Rivers State ,some youths of the state have commended Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike for tasking drivers of the project on the need to ensure that 50 per cent of employment slot from it is given to indigenes of the state.
Governor Wike had made the call when top management of the company visited him at the Government House Port Harcourt recently.
But, for numerous youths in the state, it was a cheering news, just as the project is expected to have positive impacts on their lives.
Speaking on this development, Comrade Kingsley Agi, noted that the project is historic when its economic importance is considered and the fight to locate the project in the state as against initial plan, in line with the spirit of local content.
He called on the governor to ensure a good management of the proposed state quota by setting up a monitoring agency that could lead to even spread of opportunities across the 23 local governments in the state.
Comrade Kingsley said that such a plan would be necessary to ensure that nobody or group hijacks the state slot.
He added that the bulk of fabrication in the project will be done by Saipem and Daewoo Nigeria Limited located in Port Harcourt Rivers State, saying that this is enough to help the youth maximize employment opportunities.
Also reacting, Monday Chigbou, an engineer, claimed that the largest container Ship that birthed at Onne Port few days ago came in with fabrication materials to be used for the Train-7. But he warned against attitude of some youth over cry of entitlement and stressed that they should desist from a feeling that their rights were been challenged.
He seized the opportunity to call on the youth to rise up to the challenge of fighting for their right.
In his own reaction, Erastus Graham,a public affairs analyst first commended the Rivers state governor for demonstrating love for the youth by demanding 50 percent employment slot in the project,which he claimed is equivalent to the employment of about 60,000 youths across the state, he criticized such as a huge demand saying ,”it won’t just work like that because there will be other interests and groups that would come up with quotas.” He recalled that Afam 5 Power project passed through a similar process.
Also ,a civil rights activist ,Samuel Nwanganga criticized the state for taxing the NLNG and others in the state from time to time and raised concern that the governor’s demand on the company may lead to politicization of the project. He advised the government to open up employment opportunities in government ministries ,against the backdrop of recent statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics that Rivers state currently has the third highest unemployment rate in the country with about 43.3 per cent of the population having no job.
