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By Emma Sunday
The Paramount Ruler of Akpor Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, His Majesty, Levi Ozonwhonwu Oriebe, has urged residents of the kingdom to take ownership of environmental sanitation by clearing blocked drainage channels and desisting from indiscriminate dumping of refuse in gutters to mitigate flooding.
The traditional ruler, on Tuesday said while government was making efforts to provide infrastructure, residents also had a responsibility to keep the environment clean, warning that clogged drainages remained a major cause of flooding in the area.
Oriebe also appealed to Governor Siminalayi Fubara to fast-track the ongoing Ring Road project and other road construction works in Akpor Kingdom, noting that their timely completion would improve transportation and socio-economic activities.
“I want to urge akpor sons, daughters and all residents of akpor Kingdom to see it as a collective responsibility to clear our water drainage and not dump refuse in the gutters as this also leads to flooding, government is doing their job so we also need to do our job by not dumping refuse inside gutter. All our drainage have been blocked we need to do the needful by clearing them.
“We are also begging the Governor Siminalayi fubara to help fast track the ring road project and all other ongoing road construction project going on in akpor kingdom” he appealed.
Speaking further, the monarch commended the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for facilitating the appointment of Professor Princewill Chike as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Port Harcourt, describing the development as the fulfilment of a long-standing aspiration of the Ikwerre ethnic nationality.
He expressed appreciation to the former Rivers State governor for what he described as his continued commitment to the advancement of the Ikwerre people and urged him to sustain the gesture.
“I want to commend the Federal Capital Territory minister Nyesom Wike, for giving us what the people of Ikwerre ethnic nationality have been demanding for over 51 years to appoint one of our son professor Princewill Chike, to become the vice Chancellor of the University of port Harcourt we are very very happy I urge, the FCT minister to continue to do good by taking Ikwerre people to a greater Heights, I want everybody to follow the footsteps of the footsteps of Chief Wike”.
The monarch also called on the newly appointed Vice-Chancellor to ensure fairness in employment opportunities by giving greater consideration to qualified indigenes of Akpor, the host community of the university.
According to him, successive administrations of the institution had failed to adequately accommodate members of the host community in employment, urging Professor Chike to correct what he described as years of marginalisation.
“I will urge professor Chike to consider the people of akpor for job opportunities at the University for years now we have been sidelined as host community when it comes to employment opportunities. All the past leadership of the institution have turned the institution to their personal property so we are begging professor Chike to be fair to us this time”.
