Niger Delta
Empowerment: Four N’Delta States Employ 10,000 Youth
Facts have emerged that no
fewer than 10,000 youths had been employed in Niger-Delta States of Bayelsa, Delta, Edo and Rivers in the last two years under government empowerment scheme.
The Secretary to the NPC, Mr Bassey Akpanyung disclosed this at a National Level Stakeholders’ Validation Workshop on the Informal Sector Study of the four states.
Akpanyung said that the 10,000 youths were employed under the State Employment and Expenditure for Results (SEEFOR) project implemented in the four states.
“I am pleased to inform you that barely two years into the implementation of SEEFOR Project, the socio-economic activities of the SEEFOR States have witnessed some improvement with the employment of over 10,000 youths under the small public works scheme of the project while over 121,000 people are accessing other growth enhancing services under numerous informal sector initiatives in the targeted communities of the project.“
The secretary said that the study on the four SEEFOR states would provide information on the characteristics and viability of the informal sector.
He said that the expectation was that the study would also help the government in taking sound and evidence-based policy decisions, particularly in the SEEFOR states.
In addition, Akpanyung said that the study would also provide the various governments of the SEEFOR states with the opportunity to explore other alternative sources of generating revenue internally.
The official said that the benefiting states would be able to generate internally through adequate tax legislations, thereby blocking all forms of financial leakages through the project.
According to him, the states will be able to boost their economy with the project, especially with the dwindling price of oil.
“A cursory look at the outcome of the study shows that the informal sector still remains a major contributor to the GDP and job creation in the four beneficiary states of the Niger Delta region.
“The sector’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaged 34.9 per cent. “This result is also consistent with the 37.7 per cent recorded outcome of the pilot study carried out by the NPC – NISER (Nigerian Institute for Social and Economic Research).
“With the support from the UN Development Programme (UNDP) on the informal sector in 2014, covering six states drawn from the six geo-political zones of the country.”
According to him, the implication of the report is that the informal sector remains very dominant.
He urged the respective states to introduce policies aimed at further formalising the sector, especially at a time when revenue receipts from oil were very low.
Akpanyung, however, said that the current administration was fully committed to rejuvenating and improving the operations of the informal sector at the national and sub-national levels.
He said that recent pronouncements made by President Muhammdu Buhari, indicated that the new administration had favourable disposition to invigorating the informal sector for job creation.
“It is hoped that the subnational governments, the private sector and indeed the development partners will join with government in undertaking this important task,“ the secretary said.
Earlier, Mr Tunde Lawal, the National Project Coordinator, SEEFOR Project, said that the objective of the workshop was to share the key findings of the revised draft report on the informal sector study.
Lawal said that the workshop was also aimed at deepening the knowledge about the characteristics and operations of the important sector in the SEEFOR project participating states.
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.
