Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre (YEAC) in our media statement on June 5, 2020 to mark this year’s World Environment Day had called on the Rivers State Government to provide safe pipe-borne water for Rivers people under the “Urban Sector and Port Harcourt Water and Sanitation Project” using the World Bank and African Development Bank Loans as promised in his 2020 budget speech. We had also use the same opportunity to call on the Governor, Chief Barrister Nyesom Wike, CON to give more attention to environmental and sanitation issues in the State by immediately recruiting the 3,000 “Sanitation Marshals” approved by the State Executive Council on Wednesday, January 29, 2020.

It is against these backgrounds that we release this statement to commend the Government and Governor of Rivers State, Chief Barrister Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, CON for heeding our call and on July 23, 2020 announced plans through the Honourable Commissioner for Water Resources, Dr. Tamunosisi Gogo-Jaja for the award of contracts for the provision of safe, clean and portable drinking water for the affected areas. As a non-governmental organization that also has sanitation and health as part of its thematic advocacy areas, our call on the Rivers State Government to immediately recruit the 3,000 Sanitation Marshals and provide running water for the people were necessary because both issues go hand-in-hand. We are not unaware of the importance of running water to the people and in the prevention and against corona virus diseases (COVID-19) as also instructed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as well as the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) for regular hand washing but which running water is currently unavailable to the poor and vulnerable masses in the State.

As we thank and appreciate the Rivers State Government, Governor and State Executive Council for announcing plans to award the water contracts, like Oliver Twist, we still hereby remind the Governor to kindly commence the appointment of the 3,000 Sanitation Marshals to keep our city clean, improve sanitation and create jobs for our teaming youths.

Signed,

FYNEFACE DUMNAMENE FYNEFACE,

Environmental Justice Activist, Human Rights Defender and

Executive Director, Advocacy Centre.

24/07/2020