PINL Empowers 3,000 Nigerian Women with Business Grants

Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL), the private security firm responsible for safeguarding the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) and Eastern Gas Network (EGN), has supported 3,000 women from Rivers, Bayelsa, Imo and Abia states with a large-scale support program for their businesses.

The women who benefitted from this program were selected from the 216 host communities of the company’s areas of operation in the Niger Delta and received grants between N250,000 and N1 million as part of PINL’s commitment to improve livelihoods, increasing household income and facilitating sustainable community development through its women empowerment program.

The cheques were presented during the company’s monthly stakeholder’s engagement meeting held in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.

Dr. Akpos Mezeh, PINL General Manager Community and Stakeholder Relations remarked that this initiative demonstrates the ongoing commitment of the company to help and support communities in the areas where there are critical oil and gas infrastructure.

According to Mezeh, “women were prioritised because of their significant contributions to family welfare, local commerce and peace building within communities”.

“Today is yet another day for us to reward our communities. They have supported us unreservedly in the fight against pipeline vandalism and it’s clear that we are succeeding in that direction,” he said. “So today’s exercise was another way of saying thank you to the communities.”

He also urged youths within the host communities to avoid pipeline vandalism, illegal bunkering and other criminal activities that could disrupt oil production and regional development.

“We are having zero infraction on the pipeline in our area of operation. There will be no incident and that shows that we are winning the fight against pipeline vandalism,” Mezeh added, attributing the achievement to strong community cooperation.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• 3,000 women received business grants across four Niger Delta states
• Funding support ranged from N250,000 to N1 million for beneficiaries
• Programme supports livelihoods, community development and pipeline security efforts

The company further revealed that it has introduced a monitoring framework to ensure beneficiaries invest the funds into productive ventures capable of improving long-term livelihoods.

Stakeholders commended PINL for sustaining its community-focused initiatives despite prevailing economic challenges. The King of Emohua Kingdom in Rivers State, HRM Eze Seargent Awuse, praised the company for combining infrastructure protection with impactful development programmes.

“Last sitting you rolled out scholarships for our youths and today you have rolled out women empowerment,” the monarch stated. “Your company has in a very significant way made it possible for more oil to flow with less vandalisation.”

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Ada Ekpeye-Logbo, Dr. Patricia Ogbonnaya, expressed appreciation to the company for responding to women’s requests for inclusion in empowerment initiatives.

“PINL has made us benefit from the oil on our land,” she said, adding that the company’s activities were also contributing positively to the local environment and aquatic ecosystem.