Water Hyacinth Rises As NDDC Promises To Tackle Scourge

By Akinwale Kasali

The Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, has disclosed its determination to explore creative means of tackling the scourge of water hyacinths in the waterways of the Niger Delta region.

Chairman, of the Board, Lauretta Onochie, made this disclosure while hosting members of the Niger Delta Youth Assembly at the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, Rivers.

This was contained in a statement signed by the NDDC director, Corporate Affairs, Ibitoye Abosede on Friday.

Onochie noted that it had become imperative to explore new means of tackling the scourge of water hyacinths in the region’s waterways.

She stated, “In South-East Asia, water hyacinths are harvested and used to make beautiful artworks which are sold for profit.

“We may have to send some of our people abroad to learn how to turn the problem of water hyacinths in our waterways into a profitable venture instead of giving out contracts every time for the clearing of our waterways.”

She remarked that the interventionist agency was exploring ways to address the challenges facing waterways in the region in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

Onochie added, “We are liaising with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources to address the challenges facing our waterways.”

Earlier, the President of the Niger Delta Youth Assembly, George Godwin, commended the efforts of the NDDC in the Niger Delta region and stated that more still needed to be done.

Godwin called for more support for the NDDC and urged the commission to partner with the youth assembly to increase its impact in the Niger Delta region.

Also speaking, the representative of Rivers State on the Governing Board of the NDDC, Chukwudi Dimkpa, said the commission had been proactively tackling the challenges that come with flooding in the Niger Delta region.

He stated, “The Governing Board is tackling the flood issues proactively. We noticed that the rains have come early and we are making efforts to address the challenges so our people don’t suffer.”

Onochie added that that all ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region have the right to seek support from the NDDC as such requests were valid.

Onochie who thanked the Forum for the honour of visiting her stated that no request from any ethnic nationality in the Niger Delta region was less than others. She noted: “The requests we receive here are the same: requests for empowerment and support, so every request is important to us and we will look at them.”