The communities of Ogoniland have promised that youth restiveness in the area is now over.
The Communities thanked the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari for fulfilling the promise his administration made to Ogoniland in 2016.
Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Environment, Ibrahim Yusufu, disclosed this recently during the official flagging- off of Water Projects and sites handover ceremony to the contractors in Ogoniland, Rivers State.
The Perm Sec said the community also appreciated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, while assuring the Ogoni people that these developmental projects would continue to impact positively on the socio economic development of the area.
A statement signed by the Ministry’s Head, Press and Public Relations Unit, Ibrahim Haruna said the project commissioned by the Permanent Secretary included the Barako Portable Water Scheme with storage capacity of 500 cubic metres of clean water.
It is expected to provide free, safe and quality water to all households in Ogoni and its environs.
Yusuf said that commissioning these types of projects was the second under the six-lot projects in the first phase of emergency water intervention for Ogoni Communities.
He said: “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/vandalization of projects and incessant sponsored agitation which over the years encumbered the procurement process and effective delivery of emergency and livelihood support projects in the area”.
He further said that apart from the remediation process, the livelihood programme was aimed at providing portable and accessible water to the Ogoni community and ensuring the provision of other amenities to cushion the effect of the pollution as the Ministry has put more efforts in delivering the emergency intervention projects as part of the remediation process in Ogoniland.
The Permanent Secretary presented certificates 14 Contractors for the construction of another 14 portable water systems to cover 52 communities and to fast-track the other aspect of the livelihood programme.
The Ogoni people and the entire community were excited.
They pointed out that with the efforts of the Ministry of Environment, all their challenges had finally come to an end.
They expressed the appreciation of sons and daughters of the Ogoni community to the Ministry.
Chairman, Board of Trustees, Ogoni Trust Fund Incorporated, Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP), Dr. Nwielaghi Barieenee Michael, advised the people in the area to always channel their grievances through the right channel not HYPREP as a whole.
HRM, King Dr. Suanu T. Y. Baridam, Gbenemene, Bakana Kingdom, and Spokesman to the Ogoni Specialist Hospital thanked HYPREP and the Project Manager for making the project possible for the Ogoni people in record time.
He said he wanted to see HYPREP deliver more projects that are community oriented and provision of job opportunities to the youths in Ogoniland.
HRM King Foetus Bagia, said they felt honoured to have the Federal Permanent Secretary in Ogoni land.
He said: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome all members of the Board to the community of Barako”.
King Bahia said that as tradition demands, the community presented a drink to the Permanent Secretary, they also offered prayer and gift items as the oldest man, who was over 120 years old, decorated the Permanent Secretary with a wrapper which signified blessings on the Permanent Secretary for job well done.
He said: “This project is the highest and largest project in Ogoniland, for over seven years, so Ogoni people are saying thank you as over 52 box community have benefited from this project”.
Sites were also handed over to contractors whose contracts were earlier approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of the immediate past administration.
