– Pledges a cleaner gateway
Port Harcourt – In a decisive move to address a longstanding environmental and aesthetic concern, Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has announced plans to permanently relocate the major dumpsite along the busy Port Harcourt Airport–Obiri-Ikwerre Road.
The Governor declared the current location a public health threat and a damaging first impression for visitors, vowing to establish a new, permanent dumpsite that meets acceptable standards.
Governor Fubara made the announcement on Tuesday during an inspection tour of a proposed replacement site: a disused burrow pit near Bambo Estate, off Eneka Road in Igwuruta, Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Expressing his concern, the Governor highlighted the incongruity of having a refuse dump along a key entrance into the state capital.
“The kind of environmental hazards that we are facing there along the Airport–Obiri-Ikwerre Road; the smell on that road being the entrance into the State, we felt it’s not proper,” Governor Fubara stated. “So, we are making alternative arrangements so we can have a permanent refuse dumpsite that meets acceptable standards.”
The Governor was conducted round the proposed Igwuruta site by the Chairman of the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Dr. Samuel Nwanosike, and its Managing Director, Dr. Ibimina Wokoma.
Assuring swift action, Governor Fubara said his administration would move quickly to formalise the government’s ownership of the land and complete necessary construction work on the access road to make the new site operational.
“We have not concluded the issue of the burrow pit, but the access road, I think the government is doing something about it,” he said. “So, I will make sure that everything that needs to be done to ensure government owns this burrow pit is done.”
During the visit, the Governor also commended the management of RIWAMA for what he described as a more assertive and improved approach to refuse management across the State, signalling confidence in the agency’s ability to handle the transition.
In a related development, Governor Fubara also visited the Permanent Secretaries’ Quarters in Elimgbu Town, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, to assess the progress of ongoing construction work at the facility, underscoring his administration’s focus on infrastructure and welfare.
The planned relocation of the dumpsite is expected to be welcomed by residents and business owners along the Airport Road corridor, who have long complained about the environmental nuisance, while also projecting a more positive image of Port Harcourt to arriving visitors.
