THE DILEMMA OF A RIVER WITHOUT WATER {AS THE WORLD MARKS WORLD WATER DAY} _Godspower Igwe_ “To all those who criticize Governor Amaechi for lack of water in Rivers State, I ask, is the with-holding of the state World Bank Water Loan by Federal Government justified? My answer to this question if you’d ask, will be no. It will be no because, “water is life”, and with-holding water from a human being is with-holding life” (a visitor to River State). WHEN THINKING STARTED Water was held as the primary substance underlying all reality. Thales of Miletus, the first known Philosopher from the Western world, who lived around 600 B.C. in Miletus, a city in Ionia, ancient Greece held that what underlies the reality of our existence was water; according to Thales, “...water is the original element of which all things are made, water is the underlying unity in all things”. “Water is life” is a recurring phrase which every sound mind is used to. It is so, to the point that, even the mad person on the street and dust bin yearns for water. In the bible, we hear the Psalmist say, “As the deer yearns for running water, so does my soul yearn for you, my Lord”, which is a pointer that, besides man, even the consumable animals yearns for water. IN RIVERS STATE, WE ARE ON THE OCEAN BUT WE ARE SHORT OF WATER COURTESY OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT In Rivers State, a territory sitting on water table, there is no water; the people cry every day for short of this, in Borokiri, a Port Harcourt sub-urban, what we have there is an enclave sitting on a polluted water table. In most rural communities in Rivers State, our people survive on mono-pumps and local canals, while trucks still convey diseased stream water to nooks and crannies up till this moment in our social and political history. In Okrika, they survive from a parallel pipeline stretching from NNPC Eleme Refinery, ironically, Eleme, which plays host to this corporation lacks water. In Ogoni land, not only are the people in short of good and quality drinking water, they also don’t have good air and Eleme, Oyigbo and neighboring Elelenwo share the same fate. Recall we pointed at water being the primary stuff underlying our existence. Air, too, was held by a Philosopher, Anaximenes, as the primary stuff underlying reality. These two natural endowments are lacking in [most part of] Rivers State, caused either deliberately by government or from the activities of man. United Nations Environmental Program Report (UNEP) which was occasioned by a panel instituted jointly by Federal Government of Nigeria and oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) observed that every cup of water taken in by the people of Ogoni, Eleme, Oyigbo, Okrika, and other adjourning towns, have 100% Benzin content. Nsi so’ oken, in Ogale Eleme is a typical example; people there have to travel to Alesa, where Shell and Rivers State Government sank a borehole, to get quality water. Alesa is a bit far from Ogale, though reports have it that gradually the Benzin will flow underground to Alesa and of course to other sorroundings. NOW THAT WE ARE POLITICKING Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, saddled with the responsibility of care and quality service delivery to the good people of Rivers State, has been crying and shouting to the entire world, how money meant for the provision of quality water for the people of the state, has been with-held by the Federal Government, and nothing seems to be done by those concerned. Do we play politics with human lives? If World Bank has graciously accorded Rivers State Government the loan, why can’t Federal Government simply comply and allow the people of Rivers State have water? To those who will be asking, what the governor has done with all of Rivers State savings, I will in turn ask, is the with-holding of the state World Bank Water Loan by Federal Government justified? Water is life, and as such, everything humanly possible must be done to convince the Federal Government not to hold back that loan, since Amaechi is a unit man and not the entire Rivers State, after all we still have pro-Federal Government people in Rivers State, or, is it that, all Rivers people are against President Jonathan-led Federal Government? PLEASE, LOOK FOR A GLASS OF CHILLED WATER AND DRINK FOR ME. HAPPY WORLD WATER DAY! [22ND MARCH]
Posted on: Sat, 22 Mar 2014 08:23:49 +0000
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