… Donates classrooms block to Ogoni community
From Blessing Ibunge, Port Harcourt
The immediate past representative of the Rivers South East Senatorial District at the National Assembly, Senator Magnus Abe, has noted that is power and without knowledge, there is no future.
He stated this at the weekend while Commissioning the classroom blocks donated to Teenama, an Ogoni Community in Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, in order to change the narrative of education in the area.
The newly constructed and well furnished three classrooms block for community Primary School building was one of the projects sponsored by Abe, during his tenure as Senator representing Rivers South East senatorial District at the National Assembly.
Recalled that Teenama is one of the communities in Ogoniland affected by communal crisis, which attack destroyed the only visible primary school in the area.
On one of his visit to the community during his tenure in office, Senator Abe noticed how the people were politically marginalised, looking discriminated from other communities in the state, and quickly provided them with free portable water which he commissioned in 2017 and made promise to construct some classrooms for the pupils who were sighted learning in an inconducive environment .
The former Senator stated that the project is part of the Sustainable Development Goals programme of the federal government and emphasized on the need to equip the Nigerian children for future development.
He said: “We thank God for the completion of this project. This is a three classrooms block for Teenama community. As you can see the only school building here was totally run down and the children were under the rain and sun.
“This project is from the Sustainable Development Goals programme, the SPDGs of the federal government. We were able to get them to come here to build the classrooms block for the use of this Community.
“Without knowledge there is no future because the world of the future is going to be the world of those who knows more than you and if we do not equip our children with the opportunity to learn, we have already discarded their future.
“This project I think is very important to the future of this Community”.
Earlier in his welcome address Chairman, Teenama Council of Chiefs and Elders, Chief Barinua Maxwell, “Our compliant about political marginalization, oppression and discrimination in the comity of Ogoni to our beloved Senator on October 21, 2017, when he came here for the commissioning of the Free Portable Water donated to Teenama community was not in vain, especially the school bombardment in 1993 caused by the communal clashes between the Ogonis and Andonis.
“Today, we are witnessing the gradual diminishing of the bitter memory of that report by the positive action of Senator Magnus Ngei Abe, a listening and grassroots politician of our time.
“We appealed to him to consider the school for renovation but he gave us a new set of classrooms block equipped with modern facilities”.
Appreciating the former senator for the gesture, the community also appealed to the Rivers State Government to come to their aid by completing the other phase of this project of constructing a three classrooms block for the School.
Meanwhile Senator Abe has reiterated the need for more constituency projects across the nation by political officers inorder to end the rising agitations in the country.
He stated this also at the weekend at Ayama Community in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, during the commissioning of a multipurpose hall sponsored by him during his tenure as a senator also representing the area.
This he said, if funds released for constituency projects were utilized all over the country, there would be a reduction in the outcry of the people against the government.
The senator said: “If the people of this country will be seeing the benefit of these projects in their communities, then the whole animosity and anger of the Nigerian People towards the issue of constituency projects will not arise. Because if you want to talk about it, you know that your people are benefiting from it.
“What fuels the anger of the people was constituency projects with the fact that alot of times people don’t know or see the impact or benefit of constituency projects in their communities.
I say this because for the years I was in the National Assembly, every year physically, people could see what we did with the funds that were provided for Constituency projects. Is all over the senatorial District.
“I came here because I was representing these people. If I didn’t come there is no how I would have known their needs”.
Senator Abe thanked the community for the warm reception they gave even as he is no longer in office.
In my first year in Senate, one of the constituency project we did was building of school here in Oyigbo. Through out my tenure at the senate, I made sure my constituency people benefited from the government.
“I am particularly happy with the quality of the project. Today, Ayama community has made me proud even when I am no longer a sitting senator.
“I pray that this community hall will be a contact to the growth, well being and development of this community”.
Earlier, in his address a the HRH Eze (Dr) Elijah E. Adiele, Paramount Ruler of Ayama Community, appreciated Senator Magnus Abe for giving a listening ears to their demands.
He assured that the edifice will be maintain and judiciously used for it’s purpose.
“The history of this community will not be complete without your name as far as this multipurpose hall is concerned, that is to say your name has been written and engraved on the surface of the hard object.
“We promise and assure you that we will do everything humanly possible to maintain, protect and make judicious use of this multipurpose hall so that the aim and objectives of this venture will not be defeated by enemies of progress”, Eze Adiele assured.
