Timipre Sylva, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, on Thursday, visited the Okogbe-Ihiuke-Ahoada section of the East-West Road to personally see the level of destruction by the floods.
He also led the management and board of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to visit some internally displaced persons’ (IDP) camps in Bayelsa State and distributed flood relief materials to reduce the suffering of victims in the camps.
Items delivered to the IDP camps in Igbogene and Oxbow Lake areas of Yenagoa and its environs included bags of rice, garri and cartons of spaghetti, sugar, salt; palm oil, groundnut oil, mosquito nets and mattresses, among others.
Sylva, who was accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Simbi Wabote and some top officials of the agency, said the Federal Government would ensure that rehabilitation work on the flood-ravaged portions of the East-West road was completed early.
He said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had directed the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to carry out the road repairs, stressing that the government at the centre was standing by the people.
The FEC had at its meeting on Wednesday presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, approved the variation by N260billion in the sum of the contract for East-West road project sections 1-4 from Warri to Port Harcourt, Eket, Oron.
This figure has brought the total amount required for it to N506 billion as the original cost for the sections was about N246 billion.
The FEC also approved another N140 billion worth of contracts for the rehabilitation, construction and reconstruction of some other roads in different parts of the country.
According to him, the problem of frequent flooding across the country required collective effort to resolve, stressing that all stakeholders should put away party affiliations to jointly find a lasting solution to the menace.
The minister said, “This is unbelievable. The devastation is unbelievable. Bu,t of course, as you know we stand with the people. I have come all the way from Abuja with a message from the Federal Executive Council that we have given a directive to the NDDC and the Niger Delta Ministry to ensure that the repairs on this (East-West) road are completed expeditiously.
“But this, of course, is beyond what we are talking about; beyond alleviation, on a yearly basis because this (flood) happens every year. As we stand here (at the East-West road), we know that the water is receding but the water will come back in a matter of a few months next year. We must look for some kind of solution to this problem which has bedevilled us year-on-year.
“It’s not a natural disaster as such, it’s something that we expect every year, we know the date it happens to us. Of course, there is a difference between years so sometimes the problem is more. But the problem occurs every year so we have to come together as a people, we have to leave our political differences aside; we are not here to campaign at all, this is not about any political party, this is not about campaign. This is about Nigeria and the wellbeing of Nigerians.
“The Federal Executive Council has already taken steps to ensure that this problem is resolved, at least the devastation that we see here is ameliorated as quickly as possible. But going beyond that, we must find a permanent and lasting solution to this problem and this we can only do as a people together, not minding political differences.”
Speaking at the IDP camps, he said the Federal Government commiserated with victims of the natural catastrophe not only in Bayelsa but across the Niger Delta.
Sylva further said, “The Federal Government identifies with not only the Bayelsa people but the plight of the Niger Delta people. But yesterday, the decision was taken (at the Federal Executive Council ) to ensure that the rehabilitation of the East-West Road was speedily completed.
“But beyond that, I am here in addition to that, to ensure that we empathise with our people directly and we are able to send some palliatives. I have always said that this is a recurrent problem. So we as Bayelsans must find a solution to this problem, as a country, as Bayelsa, we must find a solution to this problem because we cannot continuously have this problem on a year-on-year basis. Next year it will happen again. What will be the plight of our people?”
The Oxbow Lake IDP camp commandant and Chief Whip of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Ebiuwou Koku-Obiyai, while receiving the relief items, thanked the minister and the NCDMB for the donation and promised that the materials would be judiciously used for the welfare of IDPs.
