Hela Govt urged to pay IDGs to LO companies

HELA Province Governor Anderson Agiru and his provincial government are reminded to pay the Infrastructure Development Grants (IDGs) to landowner companies.
Chairman of Juha Business Development Foundation Incorporated Stanley Hogga-Piawi made the call as Hela Provincial Government is expected to hand down its inaugural budget today.
 
He said all IDGs for Juha PDL 9 LNG Project must be paid directly to the identified landowner companies.
Mr Hogga-Piawi, who is an original beneficiary landowner from the new Hela Province, is originally from the Hagu Clan of the Tinali tribe.
He said that from the UBSA agreement of the PNG LNG project in Kokopo, it was agreed and signed that K30 million would be earmarked for the Mark Mandibi Memorial Technical as the Koroba Technical College that was promised by Mr Agiru who was then Southern Highlands Governor.
 
“This agreement was further highlighted in 1999 by the Governor Agiru and then Secretary for Petroleum and Energy Joe Gabut at the late Mark Mandibi’s funeral service at Guala village in Koroba District of the new Hela Province,’’ Mr Hogga-Piawi said.
He added that the late Mr Mandibi was a special person as he was one of the first two Papua New Guineans who had attained a Masters in Petroleum geology from Cambridge University in England.
 
The other was – William Campbell Kibikibi - from Milne Bay who also attained his Masters in Petroleum geology and was the person responsible for spudding the Iagifu wells in Southern Highlands.
The chairman said Juha was one of the remotest areas in Hela and Western Provinces and had been neglected and it was now time for the new Hela Administration to channel the infrastructure grants to the landowner companies who had capacity and expertise to deliver goods and services to the people.
 
Nephew of the late Mr Mandibi and General Secretary for the Tali Construction Company Limited Simon Ilu also supported Mr Hogga-Piawi and called on Mr Agiru to allocate IDG monies to recognised landowner companies.
“We have skilled tradesmen and the capacity to implement and sustain projects earmarked for our areas,’’ Mr Ilu said.
Both leaders also called on Mr Agiru and his administration to honour the commitment he had made for the K30 million funding of the Mark Mandibi Memorial Technical College and to make the funds available this year.