After decades of despair, Oporoma people will be able to drive from Yenagoa to their riverine village before the end of the first term of the current governor, Senator Douye Diri, barring last minute technical challenges on the part of the contractors.
The governor intends to shock the Oporoma people with the gift of access road to their village, for the first time. Work on the Yenagoa-Oporoma road is already at the verge of being completed as the last bridge is almost fixed.
On Friday, chief press secretary to the governor, Mr Daniel Alabrah conducted the standing committee and some members of the Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, led by the president, Mr Eze Anaba round some of the projects undertaken by the Diri government during the a little above three years of his administration.
It is one of the ambitious projects undertaken by Diri. Alabrah was hopeful that based on assurances by the contractors, CCECC, the road will be ready for use early next year.
Another amazing project was the health facility with an accompanying concrete road. While the health faciltiy has since been completed and put to use, the road was still under construction as at the time of the tour.
Dr Pabara Newton Igwele, the state commissioner of health who received the editors at the facility said it was one project that had helped improve the health condition of Bayelsans and boosted the rating of the state.
The editors were conducted round the facility which is being run in partnership with Zipline, an aerial logistics company and were led through all the processes involved in the delivery of medical commodities from Yenagoa to all parts of the state, with the use of the drones.
Seen as a novel project which is only in use in only about four states in the country, the operators work with 15 active drones, even though on the whole, it was learnt that there are 25 drones available for the service delivery.
TNN witnessed the practical demonstration by one of the Zipline personnel, Ebimobowei Ebikake who, in the presence of the editors, packaged drugs meant for health centres in a rural Southern Ijaw village as well as a health centre in Ogbia, which were successfully flown to destination by the drones.
