11052021 - Insecurity: Bandits attack Katsina mosque, abduct 10

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C M Y Vanguard, TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021 — 23
24 — Niger-Delta Voice, TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021 VOL. 2: NO. 278 TUESDAY, MAY 11, 2021 •Monkey bridge that paved way for concrete bridge. People mocked me when I ran out of funds constructing bridge — Onem Miracle, Bayelsa councillor •Reveals elderly people fell off old monkey bridge on way to farm, health centre •How Gov Diri rescued her from mockers BAYELSA …JERUSALEM OF IJAW NATION By Samuel Oyadongha OTUOKPOTI — COUNCILLOR and Deputy Majority Leader, Ogbia Legislative Arm, Ogbia Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, Hon. Onem Tyna Miracle, who changed the story of her Otuokpoti community and five other communities by constructing a link bridge with funds meant for her official car, has disclosed that people mocked her when she ran out of money to finish the project at a time. At a time, I was confused – Hon Miracle Hon. Miracle who spoke to NDV, said some persons mocked her when she ran out of funds on the bridge project, but the state governor, Senator Duoye Diri came to her rescue. The councillor emphatically stated that she was not inspired by anything before she embarked on the life-turning project for her people because as a grassroots politician, she lived with them and knew the problem they were facing. “I was not motivated at all because I know the problem of my people. As a grassroots politician, I know the challenges my people are facing. Growing up as a child, I have been crossing that creek before a narrow wooden bridge known as Monkey Bridge was constructed across it. “When I became a lawmaker, I said to myself that this is the opportunity for me to change this situation. In fact, people were suggesting that I should provide solar street lights or refurbish the police station. “It got to a point that I got confused, but the reality then was that without the bridge, vehicles could not have access to the only police station and health centre in my community. “Another issue was that it is the only bridge connecting our farmers to their farms. In fact, elderly people almost always fall off the bridge while going to the farm or health centre. In many cases, they are injured in the process. Scorners made jest of me By Davies Iheamnachor PORT HARCOURT- PARAMOUNT ruler of Egbema Kingdom, Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area, Rivers State, HRM King Everestus Amuda, has denounced a multinational oil firm, National Agip Oil Company, AGIP, for luring greedy chiefs with money to tear apart his monarchy, instead of developing the area. The Nzeobi (monarch), who spoke to NDV, lamented that the international oil company has deliberately abandoned the Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, it entered with the kingdom since 1999. How oil firm divides my kingdom – Monarch “In 1999, Egbema Kingdom when I couldn’t complete the project “After commencing the project, it got to a point where I had the fear that I would not be able to finish the project because the money available to me was not enough to complete it. But because of the zeal I had for the project, I added my share of the money given to all councillors to buy official cars to the project. The governor gave us N2m for ward project and N2.6m to buy car and run our office, yet I spent all the money on the project and it was not •Completed concrete bridge linking Otuokpoti to community hospital, police post and 3 other communities. enough. “At a point, some persons started laughing at me that I started what I could not finish. To shock you, I bought one 16mm rod for N6,200 and a bag of cement at N4000. We are not talking of sand and gravel. Before we started that project, we had to stop the creek from flowing at the point we earmarked for the bridge so we could build the pillars. “After blocking the creek, I hired pumping machine to constantly take out water from the project site and each day, I spent N30, 000 for that machine. To cut the long story short, somebody graciously posted the picture of the bridge when it was about 70 per cent completed. How Gov Diri bailed me out “I must confess at that point I had exhausted the money I had for the project and was thinking of what to do about it when the governor of the state, Senator Douye Diri, invited me to Government House and gave me extra money to finish the project. I must say that my people are eternally grateful to the governor for what he did. “I say so because that bridge connects my community, Otuokpoti to Otuogori, Onuebum, Otuoke, Meta and Imiringi. You can imagine what that means to trade and our social life,” she said. Joy unlimited in Otuokpoti When NDV visited the riverside fishing and framing settlement last week, the villagers were still celebrating their daughter and her accomplishment of building a bridge across the stream that bifurcate her community and link same to other communities in the area. The sprawling agrarian settlement which waterfront, though being ravished by coastal erosion, is fast becoming a reference for measuring responsive representation in the back waters of the delta where such facility is infrequent. With the completion of the bridge, residents can now access the only hospital and police post in the area with ease on record time. God bless her. I’m excited – Mrs. Egbei One of the community folks and farmer, Mrs. Elizabeth Egbei, said: “The bridge makes me feel happy because some of us, especially the elderly, often fall from that bridge each time we are going to the farm or health centre. There was a day I fell, got injured badly and even lost my sack of cassava in the creek while crossing the Monkey bridge.” “The other time a woman that was taking her child to the health centre fell into the creek with her sick baby. Just imagine how painful that can be for any mother. I am glad that she built the bridge. I pray that God gives her more opportunities to build more projects that would change the lives of our people,” she added. Bridge‘ll help in tackling security challenge - Wango Another resident, an unemployed graduate, Mr. Meniden Wongo, posited: “I am happy that the bridge has been constructed. This would help the police to respond to distress calls from the community. As you can see, the police station is just right across the creek and before the bridge was built, the police would take over an hour if they want to come into the community because they have to journey very far to reach us from the other side of the town. “Even to cross the Monkey bridge was a challenge, so you can imagine how it affects the operation of security agents. I want to thank our councillor for initiating the project and I also want to thank the governor for his assistance and wish to appeal to him to give her more opportunities to help us construct the road that runs through our community because that is the only road linking the Otuoke Expressway to the bridge that connects our health centre, police station and neighbouring communities,” he stated. Oil firm entraps chiefs, youths to divide Rivers kingdom — HRM Amuda, monarch RIVERS… THE TREASURE BASE OF THE NATION •When work was in progress on the bridge. entered MoU with Nigeria Agip Oil Company, NAOC. Until date, Agip has not done anything on it, instead of doing something on the MoU, they started picking some chiefs from my kingdom, bribing and dividing the youths. “They are sponsoring groups in the kingdom that anytime we attempt to demand for our MoU, which is the debt they owe us, some people within will cause disagreement. “For over 18 years now, my stool has been in dispute but the litigations are over now. During that period, when I call for anything, some of the community chiefs would tell Agip that my stool was in dispute. “Now that the litigations are over, what they intend doing now is going to take ‘peanuts’ from Agip and setting fire in my kingdom. “The projects in that MoU included the Egbema Ultramodern Civic Center, Youth Development Centre, Palm Plantation and Oil Milling Facility and Technical College. There are central projects in that agreement •Egbema people threaten to shut down NAOC oil, gas wells if … •NAOC mute and there are still others for communities. “Attitude of some chiefs has affected the projects, Agip does not recognise peace, they only work when they are pushed and they are still using some of the chiefs. Entrap chiefs with cash gifts “Agip instead of carrying out those projects prefers giving cash gifts to some chiefs and buying them over. I was not a king when the MoU was signed, but those who signed it did it for the kingdom. I am a king and inherited the assets and liabilities of the throne. “These projects were supposed to serve some purpose, the Technical College would have employed nothing less than <strong>10</strong>0 to 200 people and the palm plantation would have taken up to <strong>10</strong>00 people. You know that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, youth restiveness in our area is because of idleness. We‘ll stop oil exploration in Egbema “Why we are letting the world know is that after this period, if Agip does not come to execute those projects in the MoU, we will stop oil exploration in Egbema Kingdom. “All the oil and gas wells will be shut down because we will not be suffering hazards of exploration and not benefit from it. Our land is no more fertile because of Agip. We do not have fishes in our rivers again because of pollution,” the monarch stated. Youth president cries to FG, Gov Wike Youth President of Egbema Kingdom, Stanley Ohagbwazua, who corroborated the statement of his monarch, called on the state governor, Nyesom Wike, and the Federal Government to intervene in the matter. Contacted, a senior staff of External Affairs Department, NAOC, who did not want to be mentioned, said the firm has not comment on the issues. He said Eni, the Italian parent company of Agip, may react on the development later.
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11052021 - Insecurity: Bandits attack Katsina mosque, abduct 10

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