Rivers

Group Wants FG To Fix Eleme East-West Road

Published

2 years ago

October 19, 2022

A Non-Governmental Organisation under the agies of Ogoni Liberation Initiative has appealed to the Federal Government to fix the Eleme section of East-West Road to save lives.
Founder of the group, Mr Douglas Fabeke, made the appeal on Monday during a peaceful march by hundreds of Ogoni people to draw the attention of the government on the Eleme section of the road.
Fabeke said the deplorable state of the Eleme section of the East-West Road has become a dead trap for residents, commuters and travellers to neboughring states.
“We have cases of accidents that have led to loss of innocent lives and destruction of valued properties that were bought with millions of naira.
“The road has been a dead trap as travellers are scared of using the road, along side heavy trucks from companies in the area.
“We express our heart-felt condolences to the families of those that lost their loved ones in the fatal accident that occurred on Friday, October 7, 2022, in which a truck loaded with container felt on 13 seater bus within Ninter Junction and Onne Trailer Park Junction, killing eight people,
“Another ugly incident occurred on Friday October 14 where a truck loaded with 40ft container lost its balance and pushed a Toyota Hilux and Toyota Siena car into the heavy flowing Aleto River, which lead to the death of four persons”, Fabeke said.
Fabeke, who is also a Senatorial Candidate of Rivers South East District in Labour Party, said that the accident would have been avoided if government had reconstructed the road as promised.
“The section of the road measuring 15kms from Trailer Pack to Eleme Junction, with the connecting Eloto bridge, is one of the best segments of the federal highway resultive from the consistence haulage of goods from Onne Port, the Port Harcourt Refinery, the Indorama Chemicals, the Oil and Gas Trade Zone, among others.
“The road is connecting eight Local Government Areas such as Khana, Ghokana, Eleme, Andoni, Opobo/Nkoro, Okrika and Oyigbo, including Akwa-Ibom and Cross River States to Port Harcourt.
“The road also serve two hundred multinational companies such as Indorama Petrochemical and Fertiliser Company, Intel’s Nigeria Limited, Nigerian Port Authority, Port Harcourt Refinery and many others.
“Recall that Ogoni people in July 2021, blocked the road in a peaceful march to protest against the deplorable state of the road for seven days, appealing to Federal Government to fix the road,
“Federal Government promised to fix the road but the people are yet to see the road fixed, in spite of the billions of naira that is generated from this section of the road,” Fabeke said.
“The Federal Government, through the Niger Delta Ministry, said the sum of 2.5 billion naira had been released for the construction of the road, and contractors would move immediately to start the construction on the road.
“However, for more than a year, no construction is going on on the road, which has put people in suffering as they use the road daily.
“We are appealing to Federal Government to come to the aid of the people. We call on Federal Government to also construct the road as it generates large revenue to the country.
“We appeal to Federal Government to instruct contractors to move to the site for work within seven days to save the lives of Nigerians as it contracted the oil pipeline surveillance with 48 billion naira in the Niger Delta to save our economy,”he said.

Rivers

Julius Berger reiterates commitment to Bodo- Bonny Road Project

Published

5 days ago

January 10, 2025

The Tide

Julius Berger Nigeria Plc has reaffirmed its steadfastness in its mission to delivering transformative infrastructure projects that align with Nigeria’s developmental priorities.

In a statement issued by the leading construction firm and signed by its Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Emeiseifa James Agama, Julius Berger noted that, “For over 50 years, we have partnered with the Federal Government, communities, and stakeholders to deliver transformative infrastructure solutions with professionalism, transparency, and adherence to the highest standards”.
“The Bodo-Bonny Road project exemplifies our unwavering commitment to progress, despite significant operational and financial challenges. Extreme inflation, rising input costs, and FX volatility necessitating the declaration of Force Majeure and the suspension of works in November 2023. Nevertheless, Julius Berger resumed work in good faith in August 2024, five months before the formal execution of the contract, following a verbal agreement with the Federal Ministry of Works to adjust the contract value from NGN200 billion to NGN280 billion”.
“Although inflationary pressures on materials have risen between 200% and 600% (and even higher in some cases), the relatively modest adjustment to the contract value was a welcome step. Julius Berger’s acceptance at the time reflects our commitment to addressing challenges impacting projects and fostering mutual agreements with the Federal Government to ensure their successful delivery”, the statement further read.
Julius Berger further noted that, “The absence of a tripartite funding agreement between the Federal Government, NLNG and Julius Berger continues to impact payments, requiring Julius Berger to pre-finance significant portions of the project. Despite these challenges, we have continued to make progress, including through the yuletide season, reaffirming our commitment to delivering this critical national asset”.
“It is important to note that Julius Berger is the only contractor to have taken on this project in a challenging terrain previously abandoned by other contractors. Connecting Bonny Island to the mainland for the first time underscores our commitment to innovation and national development.
We remain focused on fostering constructive engagement with all stakeholders to ensure the timely and successful delivery of the Bodo-Bonny Road, a project critical to Nigeria’s economic and social advancement and a cornerstone for the long-term development and prosperity of the Niger Delta”, the statement read.

Rivers

JONAPWD Elections: Commissioner Inaugurates 5-Man Committee

Published

5 days ago

January 10, 2025

The Tide

The Rivers State Commissioner for Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Mr. Ilamu Arugu, has inaugurated a 5-man electoral committee to oversee the forth-coming elections of the Joint Association of Persons Living with Disabilities in the State (JONAPWD).

Members of the committee were carefully selected from five clusters, representing various categories of persons with disabilities, including visually and hearing impaired, spinal cord injury, physically challenged, and persons with albinism, to ensure that the electoral process is inclusive.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held in his office in Port-Harcourt, Mr. Arugu emphasized the importance of transparency, accountability, and fairness in the electoral process and charged the committee members to “conduct the election with integrity, impartiality, and the fear of God”.

The Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Commissioner also tasked the committee with developing a comprehensive plan for the election within two weeks and to report any challenges they encounter within the same timeframe to ensure prompt solutions to facilitate a seamless election.

In his acceptance speech, the newly appointed Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Mr. Nwankwo Ndubuisi, expressed his gratitude to the Commissioner on behalf of his colleagues for entrusting them with the mandate and pledged to work tirelessly to ensure a free, fair, and credible electoral process.

“I’d like to thank the Commissioner for this opportunity, and I assure him that we’ll work diligently to ensure a successful election”, the Chairman said.

Mr. Ndubuisi also thanked his colleagues for their support and cooperation, saying, “We’re dedicated to making this election a reality, and we’ll work together to achieve our goal”.

This inauguration marks a crucial milestone in addressing the leadership vacuum created by the expiration of Mr. Kie Obomanu’s tenure as Chairman of JONAPWD.

A statement by the Head of Press, Ministry of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation, Martha Igbiks, said, “the Ministry’s initiative is a welcome development which demonstrates its commitment to promoting inclusivity, transparency, and accountability in governance, ensuring that persons with disabilities have a voice and are actively involved in the decision-making process”.

Rivers

Orazi Gas Explosion: 3 Confirmed Dead

Published

5 days ago

January 10, 2025

The Tide

Three persons have been confirmed dead in the Orazi Gas explosion in Port Harcourt , Rivers State, which occurred last weekend.

Recall that the Rivers State Government confirmed that 16 persons were initially admitted into the hospital as a result of the explosion.

According to information, the dead, which include a father and two of his daughters, were among those receiving treatment at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital (RSUTH).

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Adaeze Chidinma Oreh, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen in Port Harcourt, saying the 16 survivors from the incident were carried immediately to the RSUTH.

She also confirmed that some of them were in critical conditions when they were taken there.

“In fact, we are currently managing 16 patients that arose from the explosion at the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital.

“They have various degrees of burns and thankfully we have a highly specialized unit that is providing expert attention and care to the patients”, she said.

Dr. Oreh said the explosion took place in a residential area without proper guidelines.

“The gas explosion took place in a residential area without adherent to guidelines on how gas cylinders that are commercialized should be operated.

“This is definitely beyond the ministry of health and that emphasizes the fact of what we call social determinants of health and so we work very closely with other ministries”she said.

She also said the Rivers State Government, through the various ministries, is carrying out activities with the view to streamlining the activities of such service providers so that clear guidelines are communicated to them to ensure that the lives of and property of the people of Rivers state is protected.

John Bibor