Chuks Oyema-Aziken
The Permanent Secretary, Ecological Project Office (EPO), Malam Shehu Ibrahim, has expressed delight and satisfaction over the level of on-going remediation works at the Shoreline Protection and Reclamation Project at Emadike, Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
During a visit to the site on Monday, Malam Ibrahim described the facility as “historic and impactful”.
The Permanent Secretary said the project is one of the Ecological intervention efforts of the Federal Government through the Ecological Project Office to tackle the coastal and flooding challenges in the community in order to meet the yearnings of the people .
He commended Mr President for approving the intervention for the community as it impacts the community directly.
Ibrahim also commended the community for organizing the youth and vigilante vanguards to maintain and secure the facility.
Malam Ibrahim informed that the perennial floods which had taken its toll on the community and its surroundings over the years came to an end in 2022 with the award of the contract for the project. He said that through the citing of the project in Emadike, the community is now a safe haven for shelter to neighbouring communities during the rainy seasons.
At an earlier event, the Group President of Azikel Group Ltd, Dr Azibapu Eruani and the Project Contractor had said that the physical presence of the Permanent Secretary for the on-the spot inspection to the project site was a demonstration of the importance of the project and the commitment of the Ecological Project Office in achieving its mandate. He disclosed that the intervention has addressed two significant areas of protecting the community coastal borders and also preventing flooding.
He further said the Emadike project is, “a testament of a project that was sited, executed, visited and being put to use”, adding that the community is very grateful to the federal government and the Ecological Project Office for the intervention.
Explaining the scope of the project and levels of work attained so far, the consultant to the project, Engr. Ebipamowe Wodu of Toru- Ebi Konsult , said the contractor had met all the specifications of the contract and guaranteed that the life span of work done would last for over 25 years.
The Chairman of the Community Development Council (CDC), Mr Johnson Jeremiah, thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for “doing such a great job for the community and surprised Bayelsans”.
The Permanent Secretary was also at Tombia to inspect on-going shoreline protection in Tombia and Agudama Communities in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the State. He expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work at the site and gave the contractors a three week ultimatum to meet up on the timelines of the project. He promised to revisit the site to ensure compliance.
He was accompanied by Directors of the Office, Mr Clinton Igwe, (Pollution Control), Abubakar Takuma, (Soil Erosion and Flood Control), Haruna Bello, (Drought Desertification and Coastal Management) and Yakubu Habu, (Special Duties).
The scope of the project include a 850m shoreline protection using the sheet pile method to tackle the ocean surge and a 16 hectare land reclamation using sand filling to arrest the flood erosion that devastated the community .
