The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) will soon start work on the reclamation and shore protection of eroded parts of Odi in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
Announcing this at the palace of the traditional ruler of Odi Kingdom, King Shine Apre, the NDDC Acting Managing Director, Prof Nelson Brambaifa, stated that the Commission would not relent in its drive to provide basic infrastructure in communities across the Niger Delta region.
The NDDC Chief Executive Officer said that no effort would be spared in protecting coastal communities in the region. He declared: “In the next couple of weeks we will start work on the shore protection. I am aware of the erosion problem in Odi and we will certainly address it. We will also take care of the internal roads in the town.”
Responding, King Apre thanked the NDDC Acting Managing Director for showing concern for the plight of the people of his kingdom. He called on the NDDC to support Odi in promoting the course of the Ijaw nation.
He said that the Odi Kingdom was holding its annual Ogori Ba Uge International Festival which, among other things, was one of the avenues for taking the story of Odi beyond the shores of Nigeria. “We want to show the world our culture. We expect the NDDC boss to help us to share the Ijaw story,” he said.
Speaking at the site of the landslide which destroyed many houses in April, a former Vice President of the Odi Youth Council, Mr Teibowei Brown, said he was relieved to learn that the NDDC was intervening to save Odi from the ravages of erosion and landslide.
He said that the erosion was one of the many environmental challenges confronting the communities especially those along the river banks, noting that the last incident at Odi, destroyed many houses located along the bank of the River Nun which passes through the community.