Governor Douye Diri of Bayelsa State has approved N400 million for the completion of the Ogbia Referral Hospital in Ogbia local government area.
Diri announced the approval on Thursday at Oloibiri, where crude was first discovered in commercial quantity while commissioning the second phase of the Ogbia Health Project.
The Ogbia project is a partnership between the Bayelsa State government and Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).
He said the government was also working towards the completion of a psychiatric hospital at Kolo also in Ogbia local government area, saying that Bayelsa ws the only state in Nigeria with a committee on drug abuse.
The governor condemned the action of politicians who arm youths and asked them to “give the youths a chance.
“Any politician that is arming the youths against their opponents, that community should rise against them,” the governor stressed while urging politicians to provide opportunities for the youths.
Diri said that the intervention by SPDC has complemented his administration’s efforts in the health sector and called on other oil firms operating in the area to emulate the company.
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“This is a laudable development because it will go a long way in complementing the various steps and policies we have introduced to meet the health needs of our citizens in Ogbia local government area,” he stated.
Osagie Okunbor, the managing director of SPDC said that Oloibiri community occupied a pride of place in the history of Nigeria’s oil and gas hence the conception of Oloibiri Health Programme (OHP). He added that the OHP was aimed at achieving three broad objectives.
“It was in Oloibiri that Shell made the nation’s first commercial quantity discovery of crude oil in 1958. That discovery is what has positioned Nigeria as a key player, providing energy to the world, wealth to the country and abundant opportunities to the Nigerian people.
“The relationship between SPDC and Bayelsa since that discovery has grown with the expected footprints of our operations and social investments spread across the state.
“Amidst this growth, Oloibiri remains the reference point for Nigeria’s oil and gas journey.
“It is in this light that the Shell group, as part of marking Nigeria’s centenary celebrations in 2014, conceived and began the implementation of the OHP to serve as a reference point in Nigeria for sustainable primary health care delivery.”
Also speaking, the Obanobhan of Ogbia, Charles Owaba, urged Shell to step up its efforts to ameliorate the adverse impact of oil exploration on the environment and people of the area.
