Posted by By Alloy Khenom on
At exactly 3.25pm on Thursday, March 24, 2005, a helicopter beautifully painted in white-red colours with registration N0. 5-BDA touched the playground of Community Primary School, Bera in Gokana local government area after hovering round the vicinity for about 10 minutes.
...As first Aeroplane lands in Bera
At exactly 3.25pm on Thursday, March 24, 2005, a helicopter beautifully painted in white-red colours with registration N0. 5-BDA touched the playground of Community Primary School, Bera in Gokana local government area after hovering round the vicinity for about 10 minutes.
When it finally landed, an estimated 40,000 people had converged the arena, apparently to welcome the crew or, simply get knowledge of the event.
Apart from its crew, only four persons eventually emerged from the stomach of the aircraft.
They included two white journalists - Messrs Nick Hughes and Christian Hughes who report for the renowned American telecommunication outfit, the Cable Network News (CNN), as well as Dr. Mazaiza Uche of Platinum Technical Ltd in Port Harcourt, a subsidiary of an Atlanta, USA based firm reputed for its capability in independent power generation for industrial and private concerns.
At their head was the amiable information commissioner and government image maker Numero Un in the State, Barrister Magnus Ngei Abe, a highly respected son of Bera community and vastly accepted in the list of Ogoni leadership today.
The hovering aircraft round the area had attracted residents of surrounding communities like Mogho, Barako, Nweol, Biara, Deeyor and Nwebiara who also formed the large crowd that welcomed what, our reporter learnt, was the first aircraft to land on that soil since its foundation hundreds of years ago.
Incidentally, that unique afternoon flight by commissioner Abe, even though an official assignment, has widen his socio-political tentacles above his contemporaries from Gokana and Ogoniland generally as the people instantly held that "he is truly at home in government and his people back home", as manifested in his intelligence, humility and hard work.
Telegraph, however, learnt that the team was on an unscheduled visit to inspect the impact of the state government's Independent Power Generation Project (IPGP) and rural electrification programme on rural communities.
The visiting foreign journalists were visibly impressed by the considerable upliftment in life and self employment opportunities created through the rural conscious development efforts of the Dr. Peter Odili-led administration.
The CNN reporters were also thrilled by the display of craftsmanship exhibited by self-employed youths in Gokana, particularly by a welder named Saturday Gaawa at Bera who told them that, but for the project, he would have been redundant.
The Gokana local government executive chairman, Chief (Hon.) Fred B. Kpakol, back from London about 48 hours earlier received deafening cheers from the crowd as he stepped forward to welcome Barr Abe and the team.
Former Chairman of Petroleum Taskforce in the state, Chief Victor Giadom, the adviser to Gokana local government council on Women Affairs, Mrs. Daughter Adue, Health Supervisor, Hon. Temple Kpee Gbaranor including Hon. John Kpakol (Supervisor for Transport) were among dignitaries at the occasion, which also had the protocol officer in the council, Mr. Kpobari Nsege and Tombari Nuate.
Briefing journalists in his office at the end of the visit, the Gokana local government council boss, Chief (Hon.) Fred Kpakol described the new wave of infrastrutural development in the area as the dividend of democracy, and lauded the governor for his bold step that had led to life upliftment programmes, assuring that the people of Gokana will remain loyal and supportive to attract more assistance from the state and possibly federal governments.