By Ogbebor Tony IKponmwosa
In a bid to ensure sustainability in the oil palm sub-sector, the Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP) has carried out a project monitoring exercise on one of its investors, Fayus Nigeria Limited.
The ESOPP Team paid a visit to Ora in Owan East Local Government Area and Ewan-Isi in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area; both in Edo State, to monitor the progress and development of Oil Palm Projects.
Speaking at the event, the President and Chief Executive Officer, Fayus Inc., Mr. Fatai Yusuf, described the Edo State Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki as a visionary leader who is using oil palm investment to bring economic development to the State and Nigeria at large. While commenting on the need to operate in line with international best standards, Mr. Yusuf noted that the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) Principles and Criteria are key to becoming a world-class participant in global commodity trade.
According to him, “we are following all the RSPO Principles and Criteria in oil palm production. We are committed to being a first-class palm oil producer in Nigeria and the world. This is why we have been working closely with the communities; we provide employment for the communities; we train our workers and we also carry out community projects as a way of developing the communities”.
The Acting Team Lead, ESOPP, Mr Churchill Oboh described Fayus Nigeria Limited as a credible investor that is committed to ensuring oil palm is produced in line with international best practices. He revealed that the Edo State Government has put different measures in place to ensure that oil palm investment in the State is sustained.
In his words “the Edo State Oil Palm Programme is targeted at improving the livelihood of the Edo people. Under the programme, the various communities are carried along from the get-go, being agrarian communities. The programme is structured to ensure that there are provisions made to sustain the livelihoods of the local communities. Also, this investment brings in lots of opportunities for the people of the communities such as job creation, and infrastructural and economic development.
Mr Oboh also reiterated that all the investors under ESOPP are mandated to comply with the RSPO Principles and Criteria, which implies that the planting of oil palm will only be done after all assessments carried out have been approved by the relevant institutions.
Responding on behalf of Ewan-Isi community, Ode Izekor, thanked the State Government and Fayus Nigeria Ltd. for their developmental strides in the community and added that there has been a healthy relationship between his community and the investor. He revealed that the company has created employment for the residents of the community and provided portable water for them with generating sets to ensure the constant flow of water for community use, in addition to the end-of-year packages they received.
The Edo State Oil Palm Programme (ESOPP) is the office of government tasked with ensuring that Edo State becomes the oil palm hub in Nigeria – providing impetus for the development of competitive and sustainable oil palm while engaging with relevant stakeholders to determine and recommend suitable land for oil palm investments. ESOPP also ensures peaceful co-existence between investors and host communities while boosting smallholder production in Edo State.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was established in 2004 with the objective of promoting the growth, cultivation, production and use of sustainable palm oil products through global standards and multistakeholder governance.
