Rivers

HYPREP Inaugurates Water Project’s WCA In Rivers Community

Published

4 weeks ago

May 22, 2024

The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project(HYPREP) in conjunction with the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, has inaugurated members of the Water Consumers’ Association(WCA) for the Alesa community water project, provided by HYPREP.
The inauguration ceremony, which held at Aleto community’s Town Hall in Eleme Local Government Area recently, was performed by the Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development, Barrister Patience Omereji, who was represented by the Acting General Manager of Rivers State Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Dr(Mrs) Queen Amachree.
Eleven members of the Water Consumers’ Association were inaugurated at the event, with Rev Loveday Nwafor serving as the chairman of the association.For gender balance, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Deinibarini Zabbey, however, promised to expand the membership by later appointing two females into the body to bring the number to 13.
At the event, the former General Manager of Rivers State Small Towns Water Supply and Sanitation Agency, Engr Martins Mmeo presented a lecture, and highlighted the need for the WCA to ensure that the Alesa-Eleme water scheme is not only owned by the community but also make it sustainable. He also harped on the need for the water to be kept safe and clean at all times.
In his opening remarks, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Deinibarini Zabbey said the inauguration of the WCA marks a new chapter in HYPREP’s shared commitment to ensuring sustainable access to clean water for the people of Alesa, Alode, Agbonchia, Aleto and some Ogale communities.
According to him, HYPREP’s mission is clear: to restore the environment and community livelihoods, strengthen public health, and improve the quality of the Ogoni communities. “Today, we take a critical step in realising an aspect of the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP) Assessment Report on Ogoniland”, he intoned.
Zabbey noted that the operational sustainability strategy for the water scheme in Ogoniland is robust, as the contractor handling the project runs it for a year upon completion, followed by two years of managing it by HYPREP, after which, the operations and management of the facility are transferred to the WCA and the Rivers State Ministry of Water Resources and Rural Development.
He further hinted that during the two years of HYPREP’s operation of the water scheme, members of the WCA are trained for effective management, including sensitising and mobilising beneficiary communities for ownership.
The Project Coordinator said establishing the WCA, with membership drawn from the benefiting communities is a cornerstone of HYPREP’s operational sustainability plan to sustain operations after completion, adding that it would replicate same across all its water facilities in Ogoniland.
He further indicated that HYPREP recognises that the long term success of its efforts hinges on empowering the community to take ownership and manage the resources and infrastructure it has put in place.
Zabbey reiterated that HYPREP would build the capacity of the WCA members and the wider community to manage and sustain the water facility effectively, contending that the association would be instrumental in ensuring the continued functionality and efficiency of the water infrastructure.
“By taking this responsibility, the people of Alesa and other communities serviced by this water scheme will be equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary to maintain their water supply, address issues promptly, and safeguard this vital resource for future generations,” he said.
According to him, HYPREP’s commitment to the WCA includes comprehensive training programmes, technical support and other resources for effective management.
While thanking the leaders and members of the serviced communities and the people of Eleme Kingdom for their support and cooperation, Zabbey said their active involvement has been crucial in reaching this significant milestone, stressing that, “together, we are creating a legacy of community stewardship and wellbeing as we take ownership of and protect the water scheme”.
He, therefore, charged members of the WCA to embrace their responsibility with pride and dedication, saying, “the success of this initiative depends on the community and our collective effort and commitment”.
“The association is more than an organisation; it symbolises our shared vision for participatory shareholder engagement. HYPREP is doing its part, and we expect the communities to complement our efforts”, he said.
A member of HYPREP’s Central Representative Advisory Committee (CRAC), Rev Canon Abraham Olungwe said, in a goodwill message that there had been plethora of water projects in Eleme Local Government Area which he noted had gone moribund after some time.
He indicated that the water projects put in place in the area by HYPREP are durable and sustainable, for which reason, the WCA for the Alesa-Eleme water scheme was being inaugurated, to enable the various benefiting communities to own the water facility.
Olungwe, however, regretted that instead of the people to access and utilise the water provided to them, by paying little tokens as tariffs, they rather prefer to buy water from other sources, saying, this is in spite of the fact that the water provided by HYPREP is of global and international standard.
Also speaking, the King of Eleme Kingdom, Emere Philip Osaro-Obele thanked HYPREP for the water project and the inauguration of the WCA, saying he was happy with what the Project was doing in the area, and urged it to keep the flag flying.
The monarch, who addressed the participants through the Paramount Ruler of Alesa community, Emere J. D.Nkpe appealed to HYPREP to execute more projects in the Kingdom as well as create more employment opportunities for the people of Eleme.
In his speech, the Chairman of the Water Consumers’ Association, Engr Loveday Nwafor gave the historical background of water projects in the area, and listed several technical challenges facing the people, particularly in terms of the provision and supply of potable water to the area.
He solicited for the support and cooperation of the people, and promised that the WCA would deliver on its mandate.

By: Donatus Ebi

Rivers

Group Commends Fubara Over N4bn Disbursement To Youths

Published

6 hours ago

June 17, 2024

The Tide

The Supreme Council for Sim (Worldwide) has Commended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, for the successful disburserment of N4 billion to over 3,000 youth entrepreneurs in Rivers State.
They said the gesture will boost industrialisation in the State, and also create thousands of employment opportunities for youths in the state.
Chairman of the group, Ambassador Oji G. Ngofa, who gave the commendation in Port Harcourt, while addressing newsmen, said “the disbursement to over 3,000 entrepreneurs in Rivers State and also hosting of Rivers State Economic and Investment Submit 2024 has not only attracted investments and created employment opportunities, but also showcased the numerous investment potentials to the outside world”.
According to Ambassador Ngofa, the summit particularly has also explored the prospects of education, especially youth education for digital economy.
He also commended the Governor on what he called the Governor’s “other achievements” as Governor of Rivers State and for his successful one year in office.
The council reeled out some of these achievements within the past one year to include the promotion of civil servants after more than eight years of stagnation, payment of workers’ salary, pensioners arrears, the successful commencement of work on the Port Harcourt Ring Road, the ongoing construction of the Aleto-Ebubu Road in Eleme Local Government, the completion of the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni Road, and many more.
Members of the Supreme Council for Sim also pledged their unwavering support and dedication to Governor Fubara as they celebrate him on his one year anniversary.
The council further commended the Governor for growing the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the state from N11billion to N28billion, describing it as one of the best things that has happened to the State.
It called on all Rivers people to give their full and unflinching support to the Governor.

By: Okere Sincere & Dudu Celine

Rivers

‘God Anointed Fubara To Succeed Wike As Rivers Gov’

Published

6 hours ago

June 17, 2024

The Tide

A Chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Opobo/Nkoro, Ward 5, Warisenibo Tonye Fubara, has said, God anointed Sir Siminalayi Fubara to succeed the former Governor of the state and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, as Governor for “the task of liberating the people from political slavery, deception, nepotism, sectionalism and an era of amassing Rivers people’s resources and wealth to stupor at the detriment of the people”.
Speaking recently in Opobo, shortly after the commissioning of Corpers’ Lodge built by the administration of Dr. Enyiada CookeyGam, Fubara said he was confident in the ability of the Governor to rapidly develop the state, especially the rural communities, abandoned by successive administrations, describing the emergence of Fubara as the will of God and not that of any man.
The PDP chieftain, a grassroots mobiliser, admonished Rivers people to always support the untiring efforts of the administration to be able to provide the yearned democracy dividends denied them in years back.
On the over N19 billion Opobo-Epellema Road project, Senibo Fubara lauded the development doggedness and foresight of the Governor towards providing quality service to the masses, adding that when completed, the road will boost economic growth in the catchment communities.
“The one year revolutionary and aggressive transformation of the State via people-oriented development projects, as championed by the Siminalayi Fubara-led dispensation, such as the over N225 billion Trans- Kalabari Road, the N195billion Port-Harcourt Ring Road, the just-commissioned Andoni Section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road projects, among others, can stand the test of time”, he stated.

By: Bethel Toby

Rivers

Network Makes Case For ATM, Gender-Based Violence In Nigeria

Published

6 hours ago

June 17, 2024

The Tide

A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), TB Network, has called for more commitments in efforts made to address the barriers to HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Malaria (ATM), and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Nigeria.
The State Focal Person, Tuberculosis (TB), Rivers State, Mr. Messiah Fyneface Muzan, who made the call, Thursday, in a media parley in Port Harcourt, profered a seven-point agenda towards this end.
In his presentation, sub-titled, “Call To Action: Addressing HIV, TB, Malaria and Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria”, Muzan said, to advance the fight against HIV, TB, Malaria, and Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria, one of the key things for relevant authorities to do is for the National Health Insurance programme enjoyed by the formal sector to be extended to others, particularly the poor and most vulnerable.
According to him, this is because, “the poor often are less educated and unemployed, and consequently lack the ability to pay out-of-pocket for high costs associated with frequent illnesses”.
He also said, “funding and finances for Primary Health delivery should be carefully mapped out and sanctioned against any misappropriation or mismanagement, to enable a robust public health programme at all Ward levels in the Local Government.
“Communication and education programmes, he said, can raise knowledge and awareness, and, in turn, improve testing and care-seeking”.
He said this is because of the need to “educate, engage, and empower the communities to embrace any behaviour change relevant to achieving success in HIV, TB, and malaria control in Nigeria “.
The State Focal Person on TB further said every Ward should commit to health promotion and education programmes to increase awareness of prevention measures, and promote community participation, while adhering to evidence-based strategies.
Other proposals by the State TB Network boss are: “commit adequate resources through advocacy and partnerships for the full and effective implementation of planned interventions, including through involvement of the private sector and community participatory approaches.
“Community members should actively support and advocate their local Primary Health Care Centers (PHCs). Community involvement is crucial in ensuring sustainability and effectiveness of these centres.
“Additionally, community support can manifest through volunteering, donating resources, or participating in advocacy efforts to secure increased funding amd resource for PHCs”.
On Gender-Based Violance and gender human rights, he noted that they occur through such forms as domestic abuse, verbal aggression, physical violence, early and forced marriages, incest, Female Genital Cutting (FGC), acid attacks, and outright killings, saying women, men, boys and girls “continue to endure degradation and deprivation in both public and private spaces”.
For the stated reasons, he said, “the Civil Society for the Eradication of TB in Nigeria calls on all stakeholders to combat the rising cases of GBV in our society.
“We implore every citizen not to remain silence. Let us unite our efforts to eradicate this menace from our nation. If you witness something, please speak out”.

By: Soibi Max-Alalibo