The governor of Bayelsa State, Hon
Seriake Dickson has commended the efforts of the Federal Government leading to
recent completion and commissioning of the Central Ogbia Water Project at
Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Governor Dickson, who gave this
commendation when the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, paid
him a courtesy call in Yenagoa, expressed delight that the project would meet
the water needs of several communities in the area.
He stressed the need for those, who
occupy positions of public trust to show true commitment to the completion of
projects they inherited, pointing out that, the infrastructural deficit
confronting most states and the Federal Government is as a result of reckless
abandonment of government policies and programmes.
"This is the type of
cross-party collaboration and continuity that should inform government
policies. So, I like to thank the Federal Government for establishing this
water project and the present administration for seeing to its completion for
the beneficiary communities and people of this state to benefit," he said.
Highlighting the importance of water
for both domestic and industrial use, the Governor said his administration
would spare no effort to ensure the provision of potable water for the people
of the state, despite the environmental challenges posed by the terrain and oil
spills over the years.
He, however, called for more
collaboration between the state, Federal Government and other development
partners within and outside the country, noting that, the magnitude of work and
financial resources required to meet the potable water requirements of the
people was beyond the reach of the state government.
Governor Dickson, who also solicited
the support of international organisations with the requisite financial and
technical expertise, appealed to the National Assembly and the executive arm to
carry Bayelsa along in their annual budgetary allocations for water projects
across the country.
"If you look at Bayelsa from
the outside, you will think there is so much water to drink. But the sort of
water we have here, has its challenges because of the prolonged environmental
issues that have arisen as a result of our being host to most of the oil
producing companies.
"In the past four years that
we've been here, we've tried a number of initiatives in terms of getting the
right technology. So, we want to work closely with the Federal Government, its
agencies and all partners across the globe, who have the capacity both in terms
of financial muscle and technical expertise to ensure that we make potable
water available to our people," Dickson submitted.
In his remarks earlier, the Minister
of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, who was accompanied on the visit by
the House Committee Chairman on Water Resources, Hon Aliyu Pategi, the Managing
Director, Niger Delta Basin Development Authority, Hon. Onoye Beredugo among
other top officials said his team was in the state to commission the Central
Ogbia Water Project, which was initiated by the former President Goodluck Jonathan
administration.
He noted that, the project would be
handed over to the state after the commissioning for beneficiary communities to
use.
Pix: Governor of Bayelsa State, Hon. Seriake Dickson
