Ondo begins N1b dredging to boost economy

A MAJOR environmental project, which is expected to boost the fishing economy of the coastal stretch of Ondo State, was yesterday embarked on by the state government, as Governor Olusegun Mimiko kicked off the N1.1 billion dredging of the Ilaje waterways.

The project, which first phase covers the 6.7 kilometre-long canal linking Idiogba and Ilepete in Ilaje Local Council and is being handled by the Nigerian Westminster Dredging and Marine Limited, is the first to be carried out on that stretch since 30 years.

The project is being financed by the Ondo State Oil-Producing Development Commission (OSOPADEC), the state agency saddled with bringing development to the coastal oil-bearing communities through 40 per cent of the statutory 13 per cent Oil Mineral Derivation Fund.

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) once embarked on the dredging of the Araromi-Oghoye Waterway some five years ago with N4 billion but the project suffered some hiccups.

Speaking at the takeoff at the Ugbo-Nla Jetty, Mimiko said the project, which had an execution period of 20 months, was embarked upon to ease water transportation and improve the socio-economic indices of the area.

The governor attributed the non-dredging of the canal for the past 30 years to lack of political will on the part of successive administrations, stressing that this had rendered some portions hardly navigable by a people who depend on the canal as the only means of transportation.

According to Mimiko, who addressed a large gathering of residents of the communities along the bank of the waterway, “this monumental project, which is costing our administration over N1 billion, is yet another fulfillment of our promises to ease water transportation thereby improving commerce and attracting investors to this most peaceful Niger Delta region of the country.

“The volume of developmental projects earmarked for this area will only become achievable if a good network of transportation routes exists. The presence of a network of good roads and easily navigable river channels will open up this area; make development to be widespread and life more meaningful to the indigenes and investors.

“Let me emphasise that we have just started the transformational process of the oil-producing areas. By the time we are done, the area will not be the same again. As we all know, without peace and order, there cannot be meaningful development. I hereby appeal to our royal fathers and the youth to eschew violence and embrace peace in the best interest and growth of Ilaje and its environs”.