Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has announced plans to relocate the popular Obiri-Ikwerre dumpsite along Airport Road, citing environmental concerns and the need to present a cleaner and more welcoming gateway to Port Harcourt, the state capital.
Fubara disclosed this on Tuesday during an inspection of an alternative dumpsite project at Eneka-Igwuruta in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
The governor described the existing site as a serious public health hazard and an eyesore for visitors entering the state through the airport corridor.
“The kind of environmental hazards we are facing along the Airport–Obiri-Ikwerre road, especially the smell on that road which serves as the entrance into the state, is not proper,” he said. “So, we are making alternative arrangements to have a permanent refuse dumpsite that meets acceptable standards.”
He added that the state government would move swiftly to formalise ownership of the new land and complete construction of the access road to make the site operational.
“We have not concluded the issue of the burrow pit, but on the access road, I think the government is doing something about it. I will ensure that everything required to make the government own this burrow pit is completed,” Fubara stated.
The governor commended the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) for improving refuse management across the state.
Fubara also inspected the ongoing construction of 29 units of four-bedroom duplexes for Permanent Secretaries at Elimgbu in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area to assess the progress of work at the site.
