When Governor Siminalayi Fubara appointed Princess Ibiene Ogan as the Caretaker Committee Chairman of Okrika local government area on June 19, 2024, she became the first woman in the history of the area to occupy such position.
However, if anybody doubted her capability to handle such sensitive position, she has since through sheer determination, respect for traditional and political leadership, ease of accessibility and regard for the people, distilled such thoughts.
With a deep sense of direction and course of action, she unveiled an ambitious pet project christened “Concerned About Prosperity (CAP),” while inaugurating her Caretaker Committee members.
The pet project cuts across almost every sphere of the lives of the people, from education to agriculture, empowerment to health, road maintenance to land reclamation, bursary to security, among others.
Since unveiling the CAP project, she has stayed through to the cause, transversing the local government area, hearing directly from the people, through numerous channels.
As a true daughter of Okrika land, she has met with traditional rulers, where she stated her desire to partner with them to promote peace, security and development in the local government area.
At all the palaces, she was warmly received by the royal fathers and given assurances that they were ready to work with her for the development of Okrika.
With medical concerns of the people uppermost in her mind, she undertook a medical outreach to Ofiomina-Ama Alakiri and became the first council chairman to visit the community as stated by the people.
Her trip to Ofiomina-Ama Alakiri arose from cries of the people, following a pipeline explosion in the area that has affected their means of livelihood and threatening their health. Medical experts were on ground to administer drugs and other associated needs after proper diagnosis.
As a firm believer in education, she has also met with head teachers in the local government, wherein she told them of her desire to work with them and improve quality of teaching. It was the first time they had engaged a council chairman in such close quarters.
An education workshop for teachers, which will hold in early August, is targeted at offering new insight for teachers, in order to equip them for the forthcoming vacation classes for students.
With the Nigeria Metrological Agency (NiMET) predicting flooding in many states, Rivers inclusive, she wasted no time in ordering for the clearing of drains and blocked waterways, in addition to the filing of potholes and reclamation of land at Ederemebiri community.
Determined to ensure an all-inclusive administration, the CTC boss held a meeting with the leadership of the Community Development Committees (CDCs).
At the meeting, she unveiled her desire to be intentional in her policies and programmes, stressing that such actions will be for the benefit of Okrika people.
She stated that her administration will work in sync with Governor Siminalayi Fubara to put Rivers people first, adding that the Governor means well for the people, especially for Okrikans where projects have been awarded and appointments made.
And to tackle the perennial issue of electricity supply in the local government, she has also held meeting with the top officials of Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution (PHED) company to clear the path militating against improved power supply, and once the issues are resolved, Okrikans will witness better living conditions.
Of great importance to the people is the ongoing reactivation works being carried out at one of the oldest water supply plants in Nigeria. The Ogoloma water supply plant, built in the early 1920s, is now being resuscitated to provide clean and safe drinking water to the people.
Perhaps, the biggest of all, is the empowerment of 1,000 Okrikans and those doing business in the area.
According to her, the essence of being appointed into office is to ensure that the people have access to the commonwealth of the local government area, in addition to working with all to promote peace and security.
The CTC boss noted that the empowerment is to help cushion the challenging economic situation in the country, pointing out that it cuts across all the wards and every strata in the local government.
She disclosed that her committee was also looking in the direction of paying bursaries to Okrika indigenes in higher institutions.
And for the first time in the history of Okrika, she has set up an Internet hub at Awolomebiri, where Okrikans can make use of free Internet access for learning, business development, content creation to earn money, amongst others.
According to Vince Lombardi “There’s only one way to succeed in anything, and that is to give it everything.”
Hon Princess Ibiene Ogan is certainly giving everything in her determination to work for the people of Okrika and charting a new course for posterity.
From the media office
Caretaker Committee
Okrika LGA
