PINL Captures Biometrics of 2,000 Host Community Women for Business Support Scheme

ITODE AKARI
 Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited (PINL) has begun capturing the biometrics of 2,000 women across host communities along the Eastern Corridor of the Trans Niger Pipeline (TNP) as part of its business support programme.

The initiative, implemented under the company’s corporate social responsibility commitments, targets women-led micro and small businesses.

Beneficiaries were selected from 215 communities spanning Rivers, Bayelsa, Abia and Imo States.

According to PINL, the women will receive financial assistance designed to strengthen and expand their small-scale enterprises, with the biometric exercise serving as a verification step to ensure transparency and equitable distribution.

Speaking in Port Harcourt during the data-capturing exercise for beneficiaries from Rivers, Abia and Imo States, Dr. Akpos Mezeh, General Manager, Community Relations and Stakeholders Engagement at PINL, said the initiative is designed to acknowledge and reward the women for their role in curbing pipeline vandalism in their communities.

He stated that four women from each of the 215 communities will benefit, noting that the package includes not only financial support but also business mentorship to ensure sustainability.

According to him, the scheme will run alongside PINL’s ongoing skills training programmes and youth scholarship initiatives.

Mezeh said, “Today is a day set aside by the company to say thank you to the women. The women play a critical role in the fight against pipeline vandalism because our operations are intelligence-driven.

The women have supported us in different ways by providing viable information, which we use to wage this war against crude theft.

“The women are from the host communities where we have our operations. From every community, we are giving business support grants to four women, totalling 215 communities. This is to complement the scholarship program and the skill acquisition program that is going on simultaneously,” he added.

Mezeh said the grant, which will be paid directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries, will be an annual CSR  with professionals already engaged to strictly monitor the progress of beneficiaries, including giving them financial literacy training.

One of the beneficiaries, Francisca Nkechi Okanma from Okohia in Abia State, expressed hope that the empowerment would help them boost their businesses and assist their families.

“We have submitted our BVN, account number. Last month we were here for NIN. We came back for verification to be sure that the details we submitted are ours.

“So we have submitted everything and we’re waiting for them to empower us so that we can make use of the money and help our husbands to train our children,” she said.

Also speaking, Bridget Nnadiwe from Mmabele Autonomous Community Ahead East, Rivers State, said if the money is given to her, she would rent a shop to expand her trade.

“If they give me the money, I’ll leave my kiosk and rent a shop and buy more goods,” she said.

Another beneficiary, Esther Step, from Norkpo Community in Tai in Tai LGA of Rivers State, the information about the empowerment was relayed to them through their community chief, adding that four of them were selected by the community to benefit from the scheme.

According to Dr Mezeh, more women from the 215 communities would also benefit from the programme, which has been planned to run annually.

He urged beneficiaries to judiciously manage the funds to boost their various businesses and improve their standard of living.

He restated the commitment of PINL to positively impact the host communities of its operations, thereby encouraging them to stay away from oil theft and pipeline vandalism.