By Giwa SHILE
The people of oil-producing Polobubo/Tsekelewu communities of Warri North Local Government Area of Delta have appealed to the state government to urgently addressed some of their immediate challenges.
Mr Ebilate Mac-Yoroki, the National President of the communities, made the call on Tuesday during the official takeover of the community’s cottage hospital by the state government.
Mac-Yoroki in his address of welcome identified some of the challenges to include environmental/ecological degradation and lack of infrastructure.
He said with the formal takeover, the Delta government had taken over the financing and day-to-day running of the hospital.
Chevron Nigerian Limited (CNL) built and equipped the cottage hospital for the host communities, after the Egbema-Gbaramatu Community Development Foundation (EGCDF) had pushed for it.
The communities host CNL, NPDC/Elcrest Joint Venture, operators of Opuama Flow Station (OML 40).
“Your Excellency will agree to our claim to being one of the main sustainers of the national economy as well as one of the best assets to Delta.
“We wish to bring to your notice that Polobubo/Tsekelewu communities and the environs are classical examples of the meaning and definition of ecological and environmental degradation, orchestrated by oil exploration and exploitation.
“The river you traversed to this town used to be averagely 10 metres deep before the advent of oil exploration. Today this same river has been silted to less than a metre in depth during the dry season.
“The fresh water has been replaced by salt water from the Atlantic Ocean, destroying economic trees and vegetation that provided the people with lucrative livelihood.
“The idling 1000 kva generating plant supplied by the Delta Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) should be considered as temporal answer to our power problem,” he said.
Mac-Yoroki appealed to the state government to dredge the waterways and reclaim new Polobubo.
He also pleaded with government to construct a major road that would traverse Opuama Polobubo and Ogbudugbudu.
Gov. Okowa, represented by Mr Tam Brisibe, Chief of Staff, Government House, Asaba, said government would look into their requests.——NAN
