July 14, (THEWILL) – The Bayelsa State Government has urged the contractor handling the Obogoro shoreline protection project to speed up completion, expressing dissatisfaction at the slow pace of work at the project site.
The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Iselema Gbaranbiri, made this known when he paid an unscheduled visit to the project site in Obogoro Community in Yenagoa, on Thursday, July 13, 2023, to ascertain the progress of the work.
Mr Gbaranbiri, who was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Mr. Waripamo Martin, stated that the State Government would not condone any more delay in carrying out the project, stressing that it was long due, as lives and properties were at stake.
According to him, earlier, the project was a river training project but the government had a change of plan to carry out shore protection after due consultations in a bid to proffer lasting solutions to the erosion problems ravaging the community.
While urging the company not to disappoint the government, the Environment Commissioner instructed that the job be done as quickly as possible before the floods begin to set in to prevent further damages, as there was limited time and vowed to pay more unannounced visits to supervise the project.
Mr Gbaranbiri maintained that the contract job has suffered a lot of setbacks for years, adding that the Prosperity Administration of Senator Douye Diri wants to see that work is ongoing day and night, emphasising that the State Government would no longer entertain excuses.
Responding, Mr. Johnson Ogbo, the Project Manager of Niger Green Dredging International, assured the Commissioner that the job was going to begin in earnest as earlier promised, adding that a proper job would be carried out.
