By Emem Idio, Yenagoa

YENAGOA- AN indigenous oil firm First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited (First E and P) on Thursday handed over a solar powered water project to Koluama 1 Community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa.

The water project which is expected to provide the people and their environs with portable water to reduce cases of water borne borne diseases was executed under the KEFFES Rural Development Foundation.

KEFFES is an acronym for Koluama 1 and 2, Ezetu 1 and 2, Foropa, Fish Town; Ekeni, and Sangana oil-rich communities located along the Atlantic coastline in Bayelsa.

Speaking at the hand over ceremony, Mr Gerald Amakiri representative of First E and P, said the solar project was a pilot test which would be replicated in all the host communities.

Amakiri said: “Fela in his popular song says: ‘water no get enemy’, so, we are hoping that this water will bring unity to this community.

”We are hoping that as you drink from the borehole, sickness will varnish, there will be more prosperity to Koluama 1, the women, youths, boys and girls.”

Receiving the completed project, Mr Matthew Sele-epri, Chairman, KEFFES Rural Development Foundation, commended First E and P and NNPC for the kind gesture but requested that three additional points be built in the pilot scheme in Koluama 1 as it will not be good to expect the whole community coming to Koluama 1 to fetch water.

Sele-epri, who was represented by Moses Theophilus, Kenibara VII, the Traditional Ruler of Moko-Ama Sangana Kingdom, also appealed that the project should be replicated in all KEFFES communities, noting that it was the first in KEFFES rural communities.

”If you can recall that all our communities are surrounded by water but portable water to drink is a problem, and today as God may have it, First E and P have been able to deliver on the social development obligation and so we want to appreciate First E & P for this kind and proactive intervention.

“We are still demanding that this should be replicated in all the communities and all the KEFFES host communities because that is the only way we can see the goodness of this,” he said.