Chevron Plc, is to build a Mother and Child Hospital worth over N200 million in the oil producing area of Ondo State.
Mr Pius Orisabinone, the Chairman of the Amalgamation of Ilaje Ugbo Coastal Communities Association (AMAICOMMA), made this disclosure at a townhall meeting on Friday in Ode-Ugbo, Ilaje Local Government Area of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that AMAICOMMA comprises oil producing communities in the LGA.
“The essence of this meeting is to brief our people on how far we have gone and what we are planning to do. We have built walk-ways and jetties from which over 40 communities have benefitted.
“We also have Mother and Child Hospital coming on the way. It is going to be a world-class hospital and over N200 million has been set aside for it,” he said.
Orisabinone, who said that the project would start soon, expressed the hope that it would be inaugurated before the end of the first quarter of 2020.
According to him, the planned hospital will be sited in Ode-Ugbo in the council area.
He added that the fund for the project was already available, saying that all major stakeholders such as Chevron, the state government and AMAICOMMA were aware of the plan and ready for it.
“We do not have issue of funds. It is already available and nothing can stop the project because we have signed the tripartite agreement.
“The community driven project will go a long way in tackling health problems in our locality.
“We are putting an end to the frequent death of our people in the course of transit to receive medical treatment in Ondo and Akure towns.
“Our sponsor, Chevron, has been very supportive in this direction because the essence is to save lives,” he stated.
The chairman promised that accessing health-care services in the hospital when completed would be highly affordable, saying that its workforce would also benefits indigenes of the area.
Meanwhile, Orisabinone called on the Federal Government and the international communities to rescue Ayetoro, a town in the area, that was being affected by sea flooding.
According to him, the challenge is beyond the community and the state government.
Also speaking, Mrs Busola Babalola, the Programme Manager of Participatory Partnership for Community Development (PPCD), Warri, said that PPCD had been able to carry out capacity building programme through AMAICOMMA.
Babalola, who noted that PPCD was funded by Chevron, added that PPCD’s major roles were to enlighten, mentor and carry out resource mobilisation programmes for oil producing areas in Nigeria.
“Part of our roles is to train the association that they must be accountable and accessible to the community so that people can have trust in them.
”We also ensure that they are fit to deliver to the communities through our advocacy programmes,” she stated.
Appreciating the planned hospital project, Mrs Stella Ogungbure, said that such project would make women happy in particular, considering how lives were being lost in the course of childbirth. (NAN)