Landowners call for closer working relationship with developer, bank

THE Maigari landowners from Ramu NiCo (MCC) project impact areas in Madang have appealed to BSP Madang and Ramu NiCo to establish a closer working relationship for the benefit of all parties.
The impacted areas concerned covers the part of 135km slurry pipeline along the Usino-Madang Highway.
Maigari landowners association chairman Jacob Winis made the appeal with the aim to see that the people he represented were financially literate to budget, save and spend their money wisely for their long term benefit.
“MCC-Ramu NiCo has done a lot for us in terms of development and royalty payment and we must learn how to budget, save and spend money wisely from the royalty we receive,” he said.
“We need BSP to open all landowners bank account so that my people and organisations who access royalty must keep their money safely in the bank and budget for wiser use.”
Winis made the call during the presentation of 29 files for all major churches in his area to BSP Madang this week which the bank would open the churches’ account to accommodate the one per cent royalty money to be paid from Ramu NiCo royalty payments.
A total of 36 churches along the inland pipeline impacted areas were identified.
Winis said his association had allocated K250,000 from the Ramu NiCo royalty to be paid into the churches’ bank accounts by the end of this month where each church would receive K5,000 each.
Ramu NiCo community affairs general manager Albert Tobe congratulated Winis on behalf of the company for the initiative.
Tobe also thanked BSP Madang for conducting financial literacy awareness to the churches and landowners.
He said the company would explore opportunities for a long term financial literacy awareness programme for the impacted communities.