Orior Community Elders Back Siting of Gas Pipeline Routing At EDOGIS Public Hearing, Commend Gov. Okpebholo.

Orior Community Elders Back Siting of Gas Pipeline Routing At EDOGIS Public Hearing, Commend Gov. Okpebholo.

By Muyiwa Akinsanya and Davina Ushere.

BENIN CITY -  A  public hearing to deliberate on the desirability or otherwise of routing of Ying Zhi Energy Gas Pipeline through Orior Community in Uhunmwode local Government Area of Edo State has received the full backing and endorsement of the Odionwere and members of the Orior Community.

The public hearing organised by Edo State Geographic Information Service (EDOGIS ) on Friday, May 29,2026  to clear issues of compensation and Corporate Social Responsibility, brought together  all relevant Stakeholders and was presided over by the EDOGIS Managing Director, Dr. Innocent Bello.

The event had in attendance,  representatives from the Nigerian Mainstream and Downstream Petroleum Limited, officials of Ying Zhi Energy Limited, and Community leaders from Orior, including some traditional chiefs, who converged to ensure full compliance with the enabling regulations , in the spirit of  transparency and inclusiveness regarding the Chinese Company's  pipeline project.

The gas pipeline stretches approximately 2.85 kilometers, running from the Orio 7 unit through the Orior community along the Lagos - Benin Expressway, terminating at the Yinghua Energy Park in Benin City, Edo State.

In his remarks, Dr. Bello described the project as "a sustainable development initiative designed to boost domestic gas utilization and establish an industrial corridor powered by gas energy."

He said : "This project will be of great economic benefit to Edo State and indeed to Nigeria at large, as the pipeline aligns with the Federal government's Nigerian Domestic Gas Utilisation Plan and  Decade of Gas initiative."

He emphasized the interest of Governor Monday Okpebholo in people-driven development initiatives and his push for the ease of doing business in Edo State.

On their part, representatives of the proposed  gas company at the hearing , disclosed that extensive community engagement had been conducted prior to the public hearing, adding that farmers and landowners along the pipeline's right-of-way had been compensated, while community members have been engaged in non-technical roles, including infrastructure, security management.

"Plans for skills training and local employment in technical roles are also underway," the representatives  said.

The public hearing was convened specifically to provide a veritable platform for all stakeholders to ventilate and offer their varying perspectives , endorsements, or objections, if any, regarding the pipeline routing process.

Earlier, desk officer for the public hearing and staff of the Lands Department of EDOGIS, who coordinated the proceedings, emphasized that the gathering was aimed at ensuring "full inclusiveness and transparency" in the project's execution process, saying "we will not be part of any process if there are issues envisaged to come up from it. That is the essence of calling for this public hearing."

The hearing witnessed presentations from the company and community representatives, including chiefs who commended Governor Monday Okpebholo for ensuring that due diligence is done to benefit both the people and the investors. They particularly praised EDOGIS, ably led by Dr. Innocent Bello, for their professionalism since the inception of the project to date and promised to support the government in future initiatives because of the manner in which the project was handled.

Thereafter,  they  unanimously affirmed their support for the proposed pipeline routing, assuring that the Company had done the needful not to warrant their objection.

The high point of the hearing was a group photograph of all participants.