The Women of Sampuo Community in Kolokuma Opokuma Local Government of Bayelsa State, have wholeheartedly thanked the European Union (EU) Search for Common Grounds and their partners for providing a Cassava Processing Plant for the community.
On Friday at Sampuo Community, a delegation comprising representatives of the EU Search for Common Ground, Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta and Stakeholders Democracy Network, among others, went on a fact-finding visit to the community.
Timinidi Omomoleigha, who spoke on behalf of the women leader, Florence Dufegha, said that the Cassava Processing Plant will reduce the stress of having to peel Cassava for one full day before talking of grinding, maintaining that with the availability of the peeling machine, the grinder and even the fryer, their work has been made easy.
She said,” We really appreciate Search for Common Ground and her partners for bringing this project to us. We have not seen this type in our community before. Many groups have come and gone.
“When they first brought the idea to our attention, we thought they were playing, but they said that the European Union sent them to do it. The money you gave to them was not mismanaged.
“They came and asked us what we wanted, and we told them Cassava Processing Plant and actually, we thought they were playing, but they did it, and the thing came at the right time.
“Women are now harvesting Cassava, and we have the peeling machine, so we will no longer suffer in peeling throughout the whole day. When we come now, the workers will peel it, grind and process everything for us. We are so grateful. Thank you, European Union, Search, PIND, SDN and even the community people.
“This Cassava Plant will benefit every family in this community, both the youth, the women and the men. We will maintain it because we need it. I had been asking them to bring the Cassava Processing Plant for us before now.
“They even trained and taught us so many things about leadership and how we can pilot the affairs of the community for Peace to reign in our communities, even in the Niger Delta.”
Also speaking was the Deputy Chief of Sampuo Community, Ebi Macdonald, who spoke on behalf of Famous Usikoromogha, the Paramount Ruler of the community, thanked the EU, Search and partners for remembering Sampuo Community and gifting them the Cassava Processing Plant.
He said,” The project might not be that big, but the importance of the project to the people is much more than what we are seeing here right now. We want to say we are grateful.
“We saw a sign of transparency in what you people are doing. What you have done with your partners has made a layman understand the society where he lives and will even want to proffer a solution.
“You have also impacted knowledge in most of us on how to approach matters, no matter the magnitude, and how to live with our neighbouring communities.
“If we had been doing things in this manner, the world would have been so peaceful. If this place is not peaceful, it will be difficult for anybody to come here and do anything, but you have made it peaceful.
“You asked us what we wanted, and we want every government to act that way. Every project you see in any place, ask the people if it will benefit them and be useful or else no matter how big they are, people will see it as not being important to them, and the care will not be there. And as for this project, we will keep an eye on it and we will work on it. We won’t allow it to collapse.”
The youth leader, Wisdom Tukpa, who spoke for the President, Shedrack Sunday, thanked the consortium for bringing the project to the community, adding that “it is very important and we asked for it.
“Our own part is to protect it and make sure that we keep it safe for our own benefit. We appreciate you people, and we will do our part to keep it.”
Richard Panebi, the community Peace Architecture Chairman of Sampuo Community, said that an eight-member committee has been set up to manage and secure the Cassava Processing Plant.
He said that the facility will be managed properly, adding that “for sustainability, any funds realised will be split into three parts, one to maintain the machines, one to pay the workers, and the remaining will be kept for repair in case.”
Speaking earlier, Country Director, Search for Common Ground Nigeria, About Outara, said that Search for Common Ground had been working in different regions of the country, adding that they were in the community because of one of the projects funded by the European Union.
Outara said that Search and her partners have trained Niger Deltans on how to deal with conflict, maintaining, “we also work with different stakeholders, we train them on how to work in the state to remedy the crime and violent environment and proffer solutions to them.
He said that “we looked at the root causes of crimes and one of the root causes that we identified is a lack of opportunities for the people, including the youths.
“Working with communities, we identified some livelihood initiatives which we think can bring opportunity to the youths, women and the elderly in the community. That brought the idea of putting in place a Cassava Processing Plant.”
Also, the European Union representative Gautier Mignot, said he was proud of the project, stating that the EU was working with organisations “to see how we can make communities have better opportunities.
He said that the Cassava Processing Plant was one of the investments that the EU is making in Nigeria, stating that “we believe in Nigeria and we want a society free of conflict.
