ODAHIEKWU OGUNDE, Yenagoa
Bayelsa State Government has called on all relevant federal authorities and development partners to complement its efforts in tackling erosion and other ecological problems facing the state.
Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo made the call when the paramount ruler, His Royal Highness, Monday Igodo, chiefs and other stakeholders of Obogoro community in Yenagoa Local Government Area paid him a courtesy call in Government House.
He noted that as a coastal state that is entirely below sea level, almost all the communities are suffering the devastating effect of erosion by losing scarce land and other valuable property to the menace every year.
He particularly empathised with the people of Obogoro, where half of the community including government primary school and several residential houses were said to have been washed away by erosion.
He described the situation in Obogoro and other communities as pathetic and urged the Federal Government to deploy a fair share of the Ecological Fund to providing shoreline protection projects in the state.
He noted that the problem is beyond the state government to bear the responsibility alone.
He, however, said the state government had, in fulfilment of its promise, already awarded the contract for a canalisation project at Obogoro as part of efforts to mitigate the effects of erosion in the community.
Ewhrudjakpo, who appealed for patience on the part of the people, noted that the contractor would be mobilised to site as soon as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) exercise was concluded.
While sympathizing with those who had and are about to lose their houses to the landslide in the community, he promised that the state government would take necessary steps to provide them temporary accommodation.
He also warned the people of the state not to allow dredging activities in their communities without reports of feasibility studies and EIAs, stressing that the worsening erosion challenge in Obogoro was being caused by indiscriminate sand mining along the Ekole River.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Iselema Gbaranbiri, attributed the devastating erosion at Obogoro to massive sand mining, noting that he had earlier ordered the stoppage of dredging activities in the area.
He said the slight delay in the take-off of the canalisation project was caused by the ongoing EIA as the government would not commit the mistake those carrying out dredging in the state were making by conducting their operations without proper studies.
Earlier in his presentation, the spokesperson for Obogoro Community, Mr Francis Igodo, expressed gratitude to the state government for constructing access roads and a new school building to replace the St John’s Primary School that was washed away.