– Commissions 500,000litres water scheme
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — As part of Ogoni clean-up process, the Federal Government has handed over project sites to contractors of Ogoni power project, specialist hospitals, centre of excellence for environmental remediation, shoreline and mangrove planting in Ogoniland.
The project sites were officially handed over to contractors in Saakpenwa, Tai Local Government Area of Rivers State, by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr Ibrahim Yusufu.
Yusufu disclosed that already 500 youths across the four Local Government Areas of Ogoni, have been engaged as environmental vanguards to assist security agencies to safeguard completed projects.
He further said 50 contracts have been awarded for the training of Ogoni youths in various skills acquisition programmes, as an alternative livelihood to dissuade youths engaged in artisanal crude oil refineries from re-pollution.
The contracts sites handed over are, “39 lots covering about 2,000 hectares of contaminated shoreline in Gokana, including nine sites of mangrove revegetation in Bomu area.
“14 lots for construction of portable water supply scheme for 52 major communities; contract for construction of centre of excellence for environmental restoration.
“Contract for construction of Ogoni power project connecting Ogoni to the national power grid; contract for construction of specialist and cottage hospitals for the benefit of Ogoni People,” the federal government said.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary commissioned Barako Water Scheme, with storage capacity of 500,000litres constructed by Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project, HYPREP, in Barako Community in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Yusuf assured that the Ministry was expediting efforts to deliver the rest four lots of the emergency water intervention projects before the end of 2023 and urged all contractors handling the projects to deliver the remaining plants in line with the stipulated specifications and global best practices.
“The Federal Ministry of Environment and HYPREP project coordination office have exhaustively engaged the beneficiary communities in decision making process, with a view to ensuring inclusive ownership long term functionality and sustainability of the water supply facilities.
“Permit me to state that while efforts are being intensified to cover more milestones in the HYPREP implementation framework, it has become exigent to find lasting solutions to challenges of theft and vandalisation of project items and incessant sponsored agitations, which have over the years encumbered the procurement process and effective delivery of emergency and livelihood support projects.”
Meanwhile, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof. Nenibarini Zabbey, said all the projects handed over to contractors would run simultaneously, also urged the people of Ogoni to not only support the project but to own it, as their own personal project.
“The projects are going to run simultaneously and that means Ogoni is going to be a beehive of activities in the coming days
“This goes to show the commitment of the federal government to Ogoniland. I urged the contractors to deliver the project to timeframe and also to the specifications.”
On the water scheme, the Project Coordinator said one of the cardinal mandates of the UNEP Report was provision of potable drinking water that meets the World Health Organization’s standard, adding that over 20 water projects have been awarded to give water to 52 communities in Ogoniland.
“The completion and commissioning of the Barako Water Scheme is a further affirmation of the commitment of the Federal Government through HYPREP to the full implementation of the UNEP Report. The water scheme has an overhead tank with a storage capacity of 500,000 liters and a reticulation stretch of more than 10 kilometers.
“Since last year, the Alesa water station has been running, supplying clean water to the community and neighboring communities of Alode, Aleto, Agbonchia, and Ogale. The other water stations in Korokoro, Nonwa, Bori, Zaakpon, and Kpean have reached advanced stages of completion.”
He added that to ensure the sustainability of the projects that HYPREP would manage the facility in the first two years, within which period it will train community workers and set up the Water Consumers Association for their continuous management and sustainability.
Also, the Chairman, HYPREP Board of Trustees, Dr Michael Nwielaghi, assured that the money for the Ogoni cleanup was intact.
“No single money for the project is lost in HYPREP. All the money for this project is intact. HYPREP is intact. We are embarking on an ambitious project, that only the state and federal government can do.
“Rather than talk about the money that is there, let us call on the state government to join us. The Ogoni trust fund is there. The funds are there, and these projects shall be seen to its end.”
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