Relocate To Iriebe, RSG Orders Tanker Drivers…Pledges To Clean Up PH …Appoints Obuah RSWMA Administrator

L-R: Deputy General-Secretary, Trade Union Congress, Comrade Simeso Amachree, Chief Gani Fawehinmi’s widow, Ganiyat; President, Campaign for Democracy Woman Arise, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, Chief MKO Abiola’s son, Abdulmumun, Chairman, NADECO, Admiral

The Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, has ordered trailers and tankers to relocate to their designated parking space at Iriebe in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state.

With the new directive, tankers and trailers are expected to load from the depot in batches rather than crowding the oil depot and blocking major roads in the state

Wike, who inspected the trailer park at Iriebe, yesterday, had on Wednesday met with some representatives of oil depot owners and tanker drivers on ways to rid the city of indiscriminate parking and traffic jams.

The governor insisted that their activities were posing danger along the roads, especially along the Mile One and Azikiwe Roads axis, stressing that government will not want what happened in Lagos and Onitsha few days ago to take place in Rivers State.

He told the oil depot owners that, “government has the responsibility of creating a conducive environment for business…We don’t want to stop you from lifting products, but at the same time, we don’t want to lose lives.

Against this backdrop, he promised that government will provide land in the outskirts to relocate the tankers, such that they will be loading in batches to reduce the logjam caused by their activities in the city centre.

Reacting to request made by oil depot owners on the need to expand the Abonnema and Reclamation roads for smooth business operations, Wike, said the state was faced with funding challenges but said that their request will be looked into.

Meanwhile, Governor Wike has met with refuse contractors in the state, urging them to return to site in order to rid the city of mounting refuse heaps.

Wike said the current state of environment does not speak well of the state, and therefore, pleaded with them to work round the clock to clear the city of refuse.

He assured them that government will pay their backlog of arrears, adding, “I can’t on my clear conscience allow you to be owed that much. So, bear with us, and let us put our house in order.”

Among requests made by the refuse contractors include release of part of four months’ payments owed them by government, auditing and monitoring of activities of refuse contractors.

They pledged to cooperate with government, while promising that efforts will be made to clear the city of refuse heaps within 24 hours.

Meanwhile, spokesperson of oil depot owners, Ogbonnaya Onyekachi has called for government provision of bigger parking site for trucks in the area.

Onyekachi, who is the manager of Avid Oil, assured that they were ready to develop the site by themselves.

He also lamented the activities of security personnel who harass truck drivers at the Abonnema and Reclamation roads axis, as he pleaded with government to give them few days to clear the backlog of loading trucks due to the fuel scarcity challenges in the country.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike has appointed Chief Felix Obuah as Sole Administrator of the Rivers State Waste Management Authority.

A statement by Opunabo Inko-Tariah on behalf of the state government, yesterday said that the appointment was with immediate effect.

The statement indicated that the governor who paid an unscheduled visit to the authority yesterday expressed disgust with the abysmal performance of the management, and directed the Sole Administrator to clear all refuse in the state within 72 hours.

The Tide recalls that Obuah is also the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Obuah takes over from Ade Adeogun, who was appointed by the immediate past governor, Chibuike Amaechi.

It would be recalled that the governor on Wednesday met with refuse contractors over the deteriorating spectr of refuse heaps in Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs since last week, with their attendant environmental and health implications.

Although some of the refuse contractors, who allegedly complained of being owed over N1.8billion in four months had returned to work following the governor’s directive, others are yet to comply, thus worsening the threat of epidemic in the state capital.