Rivers
HYPREP Commissions Water Project In Ogoni Community
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commissioned a potable water project in Barako Community in Gokaana Local Government Area of Rivers State.
The Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Environment, Mr. Ibrahim Yusufu, who performed the commissioning ceremony in the community on Wednesday said the water project was the second completed lot in Ogoniland by HYPREP out of the six projects in the first phase of the emergency water intervention for Ogoni communities which was flagged off on March 2, 2022.
He said the commissioned water project has an installed storage capacity of 250 cubic metres of water to guarantee a sustainable supply of good quality water to all households in the serviced community.
According to him, following the presidential inauguration of HYPREP on June 2, 2016, the Federal Ministry of Environment has consistently made deliberate efforts to recover lost grounds and ensure timely delivery of emergency intervention projects in line with the recommendations of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report on the environmental restoration of Ogoniland.
He noted that it is, therefore, the Ministry’s fervent commitment to expedite efforts in delivering the rest of the four water lots of the emergency water intervention projects before the end of the year.
The remaining water projects, he sad include Alesa and Agbonchia booster station awarded to Cobel International Limited; Nsisioke, Ogale and Ebubu booster station awarded to Duliz Dredging and Construction Limited; Tarabor, Bera and Biara booster station awarded to El Sunnic Integrated Resource Limited; and Bori, Kpean and Bieri booster station awarded to Geokcoy Nigeria Limited.
Yusufu indicated that all contractors handling the various projects have been mandated to expedite execution and delivery of the remaining water plants in line with the projects stipulated specifications and global best practices.
He, however, hinted that the Ministry would be handing over 14 lots under the phase 2 to contractors for the construction of additional 14 potable water schemes, covering 52 communities across the four local government areas of Ogoniland, stressing that the Ministry and HYPREP Project Coordination Office have exhaustively engaged the beneficiary communities in decision making process with a view to ensuring inclusive ownership, long-term functionality and sustainability of the water supply facilities.
The Permanent Secretary further stated that while efforts are being intensified to cover more milestones in the HYPREP implementation framework, it has become exigent to find lasting solutions to challengies of theft and vandalisation of project items and incessant sponsored agitations, which have over the years encumbered the procurement process and effective delivering of emergency and livelihood support projects.
In his opening remarks, the Project Coordinator of HYPREP, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey said are of cardinal mandates HYPREP, in line with the recommendation of the UNEP Report on Ogoniland is the provision of potable water that meets the World Health Organisation (WHO) standards, stressing that the project was guided by this fact to embark on the provision of potable water in its phase 2 water scheme with the award of six water contracts in March, 2021, adding that the Barako water scheme is one of the projects in the phase 1 of the water scheme in Ogoniland.
He said the completion and commissioning of the water project is a further affirmation of the commitment of the Federal Government through HYPREP to the full implementation of the UNEP Report, stressing that the water scheme has an over head tank with a strong capacity of 500,000 litre and a reticulation stretch of more than 10 kilometres.
Zabbey further indicated that since last year, the Alesa water station had been running and supply clean water to the community and neighbouring communities of Alode, Aleto, Agbonchia and Ogale, stressing that work on other water stations in Korokoro, Nonwa, Bori, Zaakpon and Kpean has reached advanced stage of completion.
The Project Coordinator said to ensure the sustainability of these projects, HYPREP would continue to collaborate with communities in the design and execution of projects and would hand over the water projects to the respective communities for effective management while it will manage the facilities in the next two years, within which period it would train community workers and set up the Water Consumers Association ( WCA) for their continuous management and sustainability.
He assured that the project would continue to provide a robust, accountable and transparent stakeholders engagement interface to identify and address potential issues that would not impede the successful implementation of the projects, stressing that issues of re-pollution occasioned by oil theft and illegal refineries must be collectively tackled to guarantee the successful clean-up of Ogoniland.
The Permanent Secretary, Mr. Ibrahim Yusufu also handed over to contractors project sites for the Ogoni power project; specialist/cottage hospitals; Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration; and mangrove planting.
He was lavishly treated to the traditional Ogoni hospitality by the people of Barako community.
By: Donatus Ebi
The Rivers State Chief Judge, Justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi, says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the State.
This figure includes all cases pending in Magistrate, High, and Customary Courts, as well as Customary Court of Appeal in the State.
Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High Court in Port Harcourt, Thursday.
The State Chief Judge, while giving the breakdown of performances by the Judiciary in the last year ended, revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30, 2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.
He further disclosed that the State Judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.
He described the special court session as an annual ritual of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year, stressing that it affords the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stock of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year in order to improve, with a view to strengthening the justice administration.
The number one state judiciary officer stated that the judiciary had undertaken a lot of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers, and announced that additional high courts would be constructed at Okehi and Degema to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.
Justice Amadi further disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges, 57 magistrates, 30 Chairmen of customary courts, and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions, 37 magisterial Districts, and 30 customary courts.
“We lost seven judiciary staff, Port Harcourt NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2, and Ahoada branch 2 . Creation of a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based”, he stated.
The State Chief Judge used the opportunity to thank the State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, for the support given to the judiciary in the state, noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the State Governor.
He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .
In their various speeches at the event, the State Attorney General and Commissoner of Justice, Dagogo Isreal-Ibroma, SAN; the Leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Rivers State, OCJ Okocha, SAN; and the Chairman of NBA, Port Harcourt Branch, Mrs. Eke Cordelia, commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance speedy dispensation of justice.
The special court session was preceded by a church service.
By: Akujobi Amadi
A religious body in Rivers State, the House of Jesus Christ Ministries, has appealed to the warring politicians in the State to stop the orgy of violence over leadership supremacy and embrace genuine dialogue.
This is contained in a recent statement by the Parish Church Council (PCC) meeting of the church.
The statement, which was signed by the General Overseer, Apostle Joseph Emmanuel; Secretary, Evangelist ThankGod Akpanowoh; Parish Women Leader, Mrs. Promise Aniebet William; and Parish Evangelist, Elder Aniefiok Benneth, noted that the spate of violence witnessed across the state has taken unimaginable dimensions with the recent killings, wanton destruction of properties, and the burning down of Council Secretariats.
It said if care is not taken, the crisis could extend to homes, and therefore called on the warring parties to stop and gove room for a lasting solution.
Blaming the Federal Government under the watch of President Bola Tinubu, who it said had been seemingly passive in handling the political difference between the former Governor of the State and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike and his successor, Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
“The kind of crisis we are seeing cannot be rationalised. Whether in Rivers or Lagos, whether we are talking of state violence of political upheavals rocking the state, we plead as a church with the contending politicians to pull back their hatchets of indifference for the sake of peace, unity, stability and progress, and allow the possibility of genuine dialogue to begin, and lasting peace restored”, the church said.
Noting that the xurrent wind of democracy blowing in the state is one of the legacies of Governor Siminalayi Fubara and others who preach peace, love and development in the state, the Church cautioned against further crises “in the once peaceful state for posterity”.
It urged the current politicians in the country to emulate the peaceful disposition and virtues of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, which is instrumental to the prevailing peace in the state, in the face of continued provocations.
By: Bethel Toby
Rivers State has topped the performance chart in the implementation of the Nigerian Community Action Resilience And Economic stimulus (NG -CARES) programme in the South-South and Nigeria.
This was contained in a report released at the just-concluded two-day peer learning and experience sharing event in Port Harcourt.
According to the report, Rivers State performed excellently in all aspects of the programme implementation.
The state was followed by Delta State, which emerged second both in the South-South and the country at large.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has approved an additional $500million for the extension of the programme for the next three years.
World Bank Task Team leader, Dr.Lire Ersado, said at the event that the programme has lived up to expectations as it has gone along way to alleviate the sufferings of millions of poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Ersado, who was represented by Professor Folorusho Okumadewa, said NG CARES has gotten the right strategies and approach in making sure that poor and vulnerable Nigerians can smile.
He said the programme, which was initially setup to address suffering caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, is even more relevant today with a view to addressing the plights of Nigerians affected by flood and other natural disasters.
Ersado said the Port Harcourt meeting, which is the sixth in the series of meetings held across the country, will provide opportunity for all states in the country to cross check their performances with each, as well as learn from the successes and failures of each other.
Also speaking, Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce And Industry, Barrister John Otamiri, said the programme was in line with the State Government programme of alleviating the sufferings of the people.
He also said the government is ready to partner with NG CARES to alleviate the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.
Otamiri said also assures that Rivers State is safe for investment.
While reeling out its performances, National Coordinator, NG CARES, Dr. Abdulkarim Obaje, said the world Bank is passionate about the programme , adding that the bank has graciously extended the programme for another three years with an additional $500 million.
He said within the last three years $750 million was disbursed to the 36 states and FCT in 160 delivery platforms.
Obaje added that 9.2 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians also benefited from the programme across the country in the last three years.
Earlier, Rivers State Coordinator, RiV CARES, Mrs. Ephraim George Imaonyani, commended the delegates for choosing Rivers State for the South-South meeting.
By; John Bibor
