Niger Delta
Diri Assures Timely Completion Of Nembe-Brass Road
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has assured people of the state of his administration’s irrevocable commitment to complete Phase One of the Nembe-Brass Road project before the end of his first term in office.
Governor Diri, who gave the assurance on Wednesday at the 79th State Executive Council meeting in Government House, Yenagoa, said his administration was poised to prove naysayers wrong with the timely completion of the multi-million naira project.
Represented by his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the Governor thanked Bayelsans, especially the chiefs and people of Nembe and Brass areas for turning up en masse to accord him and his entourage a rousing welcome at the flag-off ceremony last week.
He pointed out that the Nembe-Brass Road is very important not only to the people of the state but also the entire country because of the strategic national assets and resources domiciled in that part of the state.
Governor Diri remarked that when he said his administration would undertake construction of the Bayelsa East Senatorial Road project, many had thought it was just an empty political statement.
“We want to thank Bayelsans, particularly the people of Nembe and Brass, and of course the entire Bayelsa East Senatorial District, who turned up en masse to give the Governor and his entourage a rousing welcome.
“When we said we were going to undertake this project, people thought it was political. For the Prosperity Administration, we are committed to every talk we talk. We don’t make empty promises.
“It is better to begin with a step to go in the right direction than not to take a step at all. We are convinced that before the twilight of the first tenure of this administration, that project will be completed. That is our target.’
Governor Diri, who pointed out that the main wealth of the state was in the sea, said government was determined to open up the state to the Atlantic Ocean from three flanks, noting that substantial progress were being made on the ongoing Bayelsa West and Central Senatorial Roads.
He diclosed that asphalt had been laid up to Ayamasa, and in a few weeks’ time, Aleibiri in Ekeremor Local Government Area would be linked up to ensure smooth drive from Toru-Orua, where the present administration took up the project.
“As you are aware, our wealth is in the sea and our desire is to take us and ensure that we get to the Atlantic from the three flanks. We are making good progress on the Bayelsa West Road.
“As we speak, asphalt has been laid up to Ayamasa and beyond. In a couple of weeks, we should be able to link to Aleibiri and you will have smooth drive from Toru-Orua from where we resumed construction, up to Amanagbene where our asphalt is sitting and working hard to get to Ekeremor main town”, he said.
“We are very sure that with the resources that are coming our way, we should be able to take the next phase that would take us from Ekeremor to Agge”, he added.
The Bayelsa Chief Executive used the opportunity to commend and encourage the state male and female Basketball teams participating in this year’s Nestle Millo National Basketball tournament for secondary schools holding in Lagos.
He expressed delight that both Saint Jude’s Girls Secondary School and the Bishop Dimeari Grammar School (BDGS) teams have qualified for the finals and would definitely make the state proud again by coming up tops in their different categories.
Speaking on the protracted power outage in the state, Governor Diri said it was not the fault of the State Government, clarifying that the generation, distribution and transmission of electricity in Nigeria through the national grid was on the Exclusive List.
While empathizing with the people over the worrisome development, he appealed to them to show understanding and not to point accusing fingers at the state government, adding that his administration was closely with relevant Federal agencies to solve the problem.
Senator Diri also used the opportunity to remind the youths of Bayelsa to direct their energies to productive ventures, by investing their time in activities that would not link them to crime and criminality.
He advised them to take full advantage of the various opportunities that government has created for them, disclosing that no fewer than 150 youths were currently being trained in the second batch of beneficiaries of the Diri Digital Entrepreneurship Empowerment Programme (D-DEEP).
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) and an agency of the World Health Organisation(WHO), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) have launched a three-year public health study, to investigate the health impacts of hydrocarbon pollution in Ogoniland in Rivers State.
Speaking at the kick-off meeting with IARC team at the Project Coordination Office in Port Harcourt, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, noted that the initiative is in line with the key recommendations of the 2011 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on Ogoniland, which highlighted the need for a long-term, focused medical study to track health impacts across the Ogoni population.
He said the study is aimed at conducting a comprehensive health risk assessment linked to hydrocarbon pollution; build capacity for local health professionals; and provide clear recommendations for public health responses based on the findings at the end of the day.
According to him, community involvement is a cornerstone of the project.
“Community leaders, civil society groups, and health institutions must be brought into this process from the onset to ensure trust, ownership, and relevance,” he intoned.
He further indicated that the project would prioritise transparency, continuous stakeholder engagement, and ethical compliance throughout the study.
“HYPREP will provide necessary technical, logistical, and institutional support to facilitate smooth project implementation. The project schedule will be jointly reviewed and finalised, and a steering and technical coordination team will be established to oversee the study.The study is expected to drive policy interventions, public health planning, and long-term monitoring of the Ogoni population’s wellbeing. The outcomes of the project will be credible, actionable, and globally recognised, thanks to IARC’s international expertise and scientific rigor,” he said.
The Project Coordinator said the project is expected to bring healing, hope, and progress to Ogoniland and beyond.
“In addition to the public health study, HYPREP is constructing the Ogoni Specialist Hospital, which will feature state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, including cutting-edge MRI machines. This facility will significantly improve healthcare services in the region,” he said.
Also, IARC leader of the team, Dr. Joachim Schuz, in an interview after the meeting, noted that the study aims to provide concrete evidence of the impact of environmental pollution on the health of the people.
“We do not want to be speculating, we need to show it, we need to prove what is going on beneath,” he emphasised.
He explained that the study would collect blood samples from approximately 4,000 people to measure the levels of hydrocarbon exposure and assess the damage already caused.
He noted that they would also gather information on the living conditions of the people, including their exposure to pollutants and other health risks.
He ,however, urged the people of Ogoniland to participate in the study, which is expected to provide valuable information for public health planning and disease prevention.
Schuz further noted that the study is an investment in the health of the people, stressing that it would provide critical information for developing effective public health programmes.
“Without this study, we do not have the information to do a proper planning for good public health planning for the benefit of the people in the long run,” he said.
A member of the team, Mr Mike Cowing said samples would be taken from areas where groundwater and crops are contaminated with hydrocarbons.
According to information pierced together, the study will include men, women, and children, and will aim to capture the different ways in which hydrocarbon pollution affects various segments of the Ogoni population.
Another member of the medical team, Ann Olsson noted that children can be affected differently from adults due to their smaller body size and higher exposure levels.
She said the team is working to ensure that the study is a representative of the entire Ogoni population, with a focus on finding solutions to sample representatives from the four local government areas.
As part of efforts in ensuring that the people of Ogoni get the right water quality, the Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) has organised a training programme for laboratory technicians working in all its water stations in Ogoniland.
At the training held in Port Harcourt, HYPREP’s Director of Technical Services, Prof Damian-Paul Aguiyi, who explained the essence of the training programme said it would ensure that laboratory attendants strictly observe standard protocol for water quality test before reticulation.
He noted that the training would sharpen their skills for better performance in the supply of quality water to the Ogoni people.
“The essence of this training workshop I want to emphasise is for us to be sure that the people who operate the treatment plants in our water facilities know what to do and do the right thing all the time.So, we are taking extra pain to train you on laboratory practices that you will subject the water you give our people to, and our expectation is that you will need to understand this and when you do, make sure we are giving our people quality water.We want to be sure that while you are doing your work, you ensure that the quality of water we give our people meets international standards, meets WHO drinking water standards, and so, we feel that a key component of it is the laboratory management where you will taste the water before and after dosage; and that would guide what you dose and the quality.Make sure that our people get the right quality water to drink and in doing so, ensure that they are healthy because if you drink clean good quality water, you are most likely not to be exposed to water borne diseases, and so, we want you to pay attention,” he said.
The Director of Technical Services reaffirmed HYPREP’s commitment to providing potable water that meets best standards, saying the Project is optimistic that the training would benefit the participants, and urged them to apply the knowledge garnered for the good of Ogoni communities.
On his part, HYPREP’s Head of Potable Water, Mr Lucky Ikue, while echoing the views of the Director of Technical Services, harped on the need for standardisation in the quality of water supply in Ogoniland.
As it were, participants were guided on water sampling techniques, analysis and use of laboratory equipment, affording them the opportunity to upscale their skills in the collection and test of water samples; perform physical, chemical and microbiological tests, and understand the result, to improve technical capacity, develop and maintain practice in laboratory analysis.
The trainees equally explored physiochemical parameters such as chloride, total hardness, alkalinity, nitrate, sulphate and phosphate, microbial hydrocarbon and heavy metal analysis.
HYPREP is gearing up for the next round of its water projects commissioning. This month, four water stations would be commissioned in Uegwere-Boue and Taabaa communities in Khana Local Government Area, Bodo community in Gokana Local Government Area, and Eteo community in Eleme Local Government Area. This is even as the Project continues in actualising its target of providing more potable water to more Ogoni communities by the end of the year.
