RSG Plans Marine Village At Isaka …As Okrika Stands Still For Amaechi

Rivers State Governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has hinted of plans to convert the riverine community of Isaka in Okrika Local Government Area to a marine village.

Dropping the hint at a town hall meeting with the people of Okrika yesterday, Governor Amaechi also hinted of possible relocation of the community, saying the project would be based on availability of funds to the government.

Aside making the community a marine hub of the state, Rt. Hon. Amaechi said in the mean time, government would build a new landing jetty and install a generator to provide power to the people of the area.

He promised to construct a road in the community, and assured, “I will give the council money to construct a jetty,” and urged the chairman of the council, Barrister Tamuno Williams and the Community Development Chairman (CDC) to meet with him to discuss the new project.

The Rivers State governor while enumerating his achievements in Okrika Local Government, submitted that one of his biggest achievements in the area was security, recalling that prior to the inception of his administration, there was huge breakdown of law and order in the area.

“It occurred to me as a young man that if you don’t confront these young men, you will not hear anything about Rivers State,” he remarked.

He noted that his administration was bent on ensuring that the life of every human being counted, and warned those who would foment crisis again in the area to desist or face the full wrath of the law.

On education, he disclosed that about 136 indigenes from the area had benefitted from the government’s scholarship scheme, and promised that his administration was ready to sponsor any first class graduate to study further in any part of the world as far as such person was ready to lecture in any of the state’s tertiary institutions.

Reacting to requests for the shore protection of most of the communities in the area, Amaechi stated that government would carry out reclamation, adding that, “anywhere we sandfill, we will do shore protection”.

Earlier, Secretary to the State Government, Mr. George Feyii had said the town hall meeting was an opportunity for the people to interact with the government, assuring that views expressed by the people would help form government’s policies and programmes in the area.

In his address, chairman of the council, Barrister Tamuno Williams praised the governor for initiating the forum, as he enumerated some of the milestones of the council, including the construction of a mini bridge to connect the palace of the Amayanabo of Ogoloma, purchasing of refuse trucks, construction of Kalio-Ama road, among others.

Meanwhile, Governor Amaechi has ordered for an immediate installation of two water borehole sites with treatment plants as an emergency measure to cushion the difficulty Okrika people face in accessing potable water due to heavy oil pollution.

Amaechi, therefore, directed the Ministries of Health and Environment to work out measures to provide good water, while regretting that the state government pulled out of the water scheme in the area because the Federal Government had promised to do so.

The water scheme, he observed, was an interim measure as he stressed the need for the people to press on the Federal Government to fulfill its promise in solving the perennial water problem.

L-R: BBC Editor, Hausa Service, Nigeria, Bashir Sa'ad Abdullahi, Business Development Associate, Muhammed Abba, Business Development Manager, West Africa, Mr Stive Martins and Vice President Namadi Sambo, during a courtesy visit on the Vice President in Abuja last Tuesday.