Belemaoil Nigeria has thrown lifeline to some Niger Delta entrepreneurs finding it difficult to recapitalise their businesses or starting new ones.
The company doled out N30 million Monday morning to 10 such beneficiaries who were picked randomly across the oil region. The beneficiaries had cried out for help, saying capital had stopped them from meeting their objectives.
According to Mufaa Welsch, director, Production & Engineering of Belemaoil Nigeria, the company is eager to fight unemployment in the oil region and Nigeria.
He said at the handing over ceremony of the checks to the beneficiaries: “This is to assist the Government in reducing unemployment in Nigeria so as to reduce crime.”
On commitment of the first truly indigenous oil company in Nigeria, Welsch said: “We are hundred per cent committed in ensuring reduction of unemployment in Nigeria.”
He charged the beneficiaries to judiciously use the funds provided and to create employment for others not yet employed.
Speaking, the corporate affairs manager, Sam Abel-Jumbo, said: “We are a JV (Joint Venture) and this is a Joint Venture programme. We are an operator and the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is the senior partner. This programme is about the beneficiaries because the company is starting it with this first batch.
“This is not a loan but a gift, premised on the understanding that you will do what you said you would do. We will ensure we do what we promised to do. If you do it, it will make us happy and make others to benefit. If we do not see robust outcome, we would not continue.”
He said the company would monitor the beneficiaries strictly and the company finds out that the beneficiaries were not adequately committed, “We will not know how to support more people.
We want a better society for the Niger Delta and Nigeria. Ordinarily we would not have the opportunity to give such support but it is because of the opportunity we too were given.”
Explaining the process, the president of the Nigerian Youth Council, Sukubo Sara-Igbe Sokubo, said the beneficiaries were not known to Belemaoil or the founder, Jackrich Tein Jnr, saying most of them cried out on social media for help and Tein Jnr intervened.
He said the founders simply referred them to Jumbo and Sokubo to confirm and handle, saying the beneficiaries were subjected to screening and project defence. He commended the massive impact Tein Jnr and Belemaoil were making in the oil region and Nigeria as a whole, saying God would surely bless the man.
It was gathered that the highest person received N6m and the lowest was N800,000, depending on the requests and proposals each person submitted.
