THE management of Belemaoil Producing Limited (BPL) is to build three blocks of 100-bed space hostels for the students of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Rivers State and Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto (UDUS), Sokoto State.
The contract was signed at the weekend by the fast rising indigenous oil and gas company and the authorities of the two universities as well as the contractors in Port Harcourt, the operational headquarter of the company. The projects will cost the company over N279 million.
The hostel for UDUS will be built by Epsilon Sky Global Engineering. The hostel for UNIPORT will be constructed by Kobahitein Nigeria Limited.
The contractors were paid the first tranche of the cost sum after the signing of the contracts. The projects are expected to be completed in six months.
The Managing Director of Belemaoil, Pedro Diaz, said the projects were in line with the vision of its Founder and President, Tein Jack-Rich.
Diaz, who spoke through the Director, Production and Engineering, Mufaa Welsh, said: “We as a company have a model and our actions are being driven by our model. Our model is community base, it is truly indigenous and whatever thing we do, we first of all look inwards before we look outside.
“Based on that, we have the interest and mandate to always develop our people before asking for help outside the country. The experience of the last two years we have done this, have shown that we have more competent hands inward than what we thought it is outside.
“It is our model to always look inside. Being indigenous means, using the people we have in the country, using the people we have in our operational corridors, using the people who people thought are not really good but it has been proven that they are actually the best for us and for the few years we have been in operation, we have actually expressed our self to the world that we are truly indigenous and we are the best.”
Speaking on the contract signing ceremony and the official cheque presentation to the two institutions, Daize said: “We are here to sign the contract papers for the construction of 100 bed space hostels for the students of the university of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT) and Usman Dan Fodio University Sokoto (UDUS), and to equally present cheques to the managements of the two universities who are here today.
“However, this is not where our activities end, we have a lot of activities that are going on; because of our peculiarity we have always stretched our hands to reach out to those who need our help, even those who do not seek for our help we render help to them.
“Outside this, both in our operational corridor which is specifically in the Niger Delta region, we have so much helped the government to reduce crime along the waterways, by employing 6,000 persons in Rivers state, to make sure that the waterways are safe as a way to help the government to fight crime.
“The reason we did that is because it is not possible to fight crime when people are hungry, you need to put food on their table, so we thought is wise to create job opportunities for the 6,000 persons, and that has really helped in reducing crime rate in the waterways.
“Also, in the zeal to help the government, we have also assisted the government to send students of the state origin on scholarship bases abroad. In the last two years, we have sent 25 students abroad, drawing one person each from the 23 Local Government Areas of the state, the beneficiaries were recommended by the state government.
“Today, 10 of the students have completed their programme and are back while the remaining 13 are still there and will be graduating next year (2020).”
The provost college of Health Sciences UNIPORT, Prof. Iyeopu Siminialayi, who led the delegation from the institution at the event, lauded Belemaoil for the kindness.
UDUS Vice-Chancellor Prof. L. S. BIlbis, who led the team, also thanked the company for coming to their aide shortly after making the appeal to it.
The Chief Executive Officer of Epsilon, Marcel Hattab, said the project would be delivered within the timeline.
“We hoping to start by next week (this week), Monday or Tuesday to start the foundation, we have a six months target, every two months we should complete a milestone.
“By the grace of God we are hoping to complete that milestone we are given and we should deliver on time. The total value is N149 million.
“They are bungalow structured and will be located within the refusal of 60m by 80m, it is three hostel building and an administrative block.”
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