From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
Stakeholders in oil-rich Delta State have called on the federal and state governments to adopt the Netherlands’ approach to flood risk management techniques in tackling the nation’s perennial flooding.
The call was made recently during the decoration of a Netherlands-based Nigerian environmental rights activist, Comrade Sunny Ofehe, as a fellow of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Centre for Sustainable Development, Ugbomro, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
Ofehe, who was honoured as a distinguished fellow of the centre, became one of the few recognized by the institution’s CSD after Dr. Newton Jibunoh, a Nigerian explorer, environmentalist and historian popularly known as Desert Warrior.
Organized by the institution’s Centre for Sustainable Development as the maiden stakeholders forum/discussion series of the center, the event had a lecture tagged, ‘Climate Change & Flooding: The Niger Delta Experience, Causes, Defence & Response’.
The event, which was held at the ICT centre of the institution, also witnessed planting of a tree by the recipient as symbol of his commitment to a greener environment, one of the cardinal goals of the Centre for Sustainable Development, FUPRE.
Delivering the only lecture of the event as a special guest speaker, Ofehe urged the federal and state governments to use the Netherlands flood risk management model to tackle perennial flooding confronting the nation.
He lauded the management and officials of the center for packaging the event which he said would enable stakeholders proffered solutions to the perennial issues of flooding confronting the Niger Delta region.
While thanking the institution for finding him worthy of the fellowship, Ofehe maintained that one of the ways to deal with the issues of flooding is to protect the shoreline and also dredge the rivers for commercial purposes.
He said that just as the Dutch were able to transform their ecological disadvantage into an agricultural advantage through the use of technology to create irrigation systems, pathways, artificial canals and dams to force the flow of water, the federal and state governments can, through public private partnership arrangements, develop the God-given natural canals, creeks that dot the Niger Delta into mega economic hub.
Ofehe, an environmentalist of international repute having taken challenges of the Niger Delta before United Nation’s General Assembly in Geneva as well as addressed the European Parliament in Brussels. He said that he sees the fellowship award not as an accolade but something that would spur him to do more for humanity.
He promised to collaborate with the institution to help facilitate their quest for exchange programmes with foreign universities, as well as developing a research blueprint on how flooding can be tackled in the Niger Delta region.
“In comparison with what we see in the Netherlands, what is supposed to be a disadvantage for the Dutch has been transformed into a mega agricultural benefit for the Dutch people. How do they do that? They know that water need places to move so what they have done because we’re below sea level is to create a lot of irrigation, pathways and artificial canals to ensure that the water moves. Now because we are forcing the water to move the water is enjoying the technology to the extent that they no longer move.
“If you go to any Dutch canal, you don’t see it flow because we have so pet the water that the water have decided to just be our friend and stay there and serve for agricultural purposes for all of us. That is what I think we can harness here,” he said.
Ofehe, who is the chief executive officer of a Netherlands-based nongovernmental organization, Hope for Niger Delta Campaign (HNDC), said that the federal and state governments over the years have failed to take advantage of the natural resources and environment friendly nature of the Niger Delta region to harness the economic potentials in the region, saying that viewing the Niger Delta region from the skyline shows how beautiful the place is with flora, fauna, canals, creeks and mangrove tress that dot it and naturally arranged as if they were man-made.
He said that the Niger Delta rivers and environment is begging to be harvested and tapped just as he said that there is so much economic opportunities laying within the environment to create jobs for the teeming youths.
He said the difference between the Netherlands and Delta State was leadership, saying that, while the former took advantage of its typography to create wealth, built tank farms, export processing zones to better the lot of its people, Nigeria’s government underplays the huge potential in the creeks.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr. Emeka Elemike, acting director of the Centre for Sustainable Development, FUPRE, said Ofehe was carefully selected due to his pedigree in the civil society space.
He said he has shown capacity as someone who knows what it take to develop a deprived state like Delta, with his understanding of the common issue confronting the people daily.
Performing the investiture, the vice-chancellor of the institution, Prof. Akpofure Rim-Rukeh, who was represented by Prof. Doris Ogeleka, the deputy vice-chancellor (administration), said that the institution would be pleased to collaborate with Ofehe in realizing the full potentials of the Centre for Sustainable Development which entails collaboration.
“On behalf of the senate, management, staff and students of Federal University of Petroleum Resources, I decorate you as a fellow of Centre for Sustainable Development and wish you success for helping us find a pathway to tackle issues of flooding. For all the goals we are talking about in the Centre for Sustainable Development, I know you will play a pivotal role as a fellow so we will continue to collaborate with you”.
While welcoming Ofehe who is the governorship candidate of Young Progressive Congress (YPP) to his office, Ogeleka said that the institution would be pleased if he can help to facilitate the construction of a state-of-the-art edifice for the Centre for Sustainable Development, donation of healthcare equipment, workout modalities for exchange programmes for her students with foreign institution, among others proposals and area of collaboration.
In his remarks, deputy vice chancellor (academic), Prof. Engr. G. Ofualagba, thanked Ofehe for delivering the maiden lecture series of the centre, saying that the institution would collaborate with him in all the laudable ideas presented especially in the area of research to see how some of the issues discussed can be harnessed to the benefit of the institution and student.
Prof. Ofualagba averred that like Ofehe postulated in his lecture, the government must learn how to manage water like the Dutch did instead of trying to defeat water.
“I like how you use the Dutch example to explain how we can manage our flooding here. We will see how we can work with you. I like that part of it in terms of how we manage water. They also knew they could never defeat water, so they discovered ways to manage it so I think that is an area we have not looked at in terms of research, and possibly some department would want to look at that. So we want to wish you well in all you do. We know you’re someone who knows what he wants, and we wish you success in Jesus’ name.”
The event, which culminated in a question-and-answer session, saw Ofehe answering posers raised on how the institution could collaborate in the area of research development to harness the economic potential in the River Ethiope, as well as a nearby river within the institution’s premises, which could be used possibly for power generation as well as student exchange programmes.
In his remarks, Prof. Christopher Onosemuode, dean, Postgraduate School, FUPRE, said: “You have given us a comparative analysis of what it is in Nigeria, the Niger Delta in particular and the Netherlands where you lives. When the flood came, it actually devastated many coastal communities in the Niger Delta and we are bothered.
“So what we need do here is to get a holistic survey, how are the tributaries formed, how are their depth and many more. So it is a whole lot of work to be put together with a long term plans. So I am trying to see you as the pivotal man coordinating these whole lot of idea, have a blueprint. We can segment the whole thing. Like I said you can be the anchor man while FUPRE collaborate as a research partner or the other way round so we can get all the rivers analyzed, know their depth and all that, then we can bring in costing and build in our budget for a holistic Niger Delta plan.”
Ofehe, in his response said that he was committed to the development of the blueprint by the centre and would do anything humanly possible to ensure the centre embarked on projects that would not only advance it core aims and objectives but put the institution in the world map.
“When I was receiving this fellowship, everybody was clapping for me but to me I was not receiving it as an accolade or a title but I see it as a responsibility.
I always tell myself that I am like the biblical Paul, I can win souls for the Lord but I cannot run a church so I leave it for Peter. So in this our synergy, I want to see myself as Apostle Paul. I don’t have the technical-know-how like you guys as professors but like Paul who can rally round the stakeholders together I have the connect to get these things done. I can ensure you that if we design a concept that fits into what you just described I can get international funding for it. It can be a holistic plan to put the entire Niger Delta in the right development perspective like you mentioned.
“The oil multinationals owe us a favour so what we can do with the wonderful concept with this Centre for Sustainable Development is to development a blueprint of how the Dutch has advance and compare it with ours. Let us outline our water channels, rivers, tributaries like you said and design a proposal for it and once that is done I will create an enabling platform for this institution to defence it at the international stage. We have a lot of institutions waiting for such opportunities and collaborations and I can ensure you we will work together on these one”.
Dr. (Mrs) Juliet Emudianughe, associate professor and Director, Strategic Plan and Development, FUPRE contended that there are a lot of studies, blueprints, proposals drawn over the years that are lying in shelves of many institutions that are not implement either because of lack of funding or the ideas killed deliberately by those who believe they have no stake in the project and could not push it further.