The National Refinery Company, better known by its French acronym SONARA, under the auspices of General Manager Ibrahim Talba Mala, has launched a FCFA11,000,000 community water project in Wovia under Limbe municipality.
Wovia water project according to Nayelwa Mahaman, that is SONARA’s social responsibility in its citizen action, was launched last May, 17, 2016 at the Wovia Community hall.
Nayelwa Mahaman professed that his enterprise which is modern is working and complying with international rules and regulation as far as the environment is concerned insisting this action is considered very important the company’s image.
He averred that SONARA is very much concerned with social development of local communities in areas such as health and hygiene, sports and culture, creation of jobs and enhancement of skills etc. “SONARA intends to boost its image by promoting development and it is in that light that SONARA has taken up the challenge to launch the Wovia water project” he declared.
He promised that SONARA will not only launch the project but will be totally involved in sponsoring the project and monitoring it till Wovia community obtains flowing taps.
The Manager of the contracting enterprise GEOBASE, E. Tatianou, on his part, assured that in less than no time, Wovia village will be benefitting from the long awaited community water promising to train two villagers on the water maintenance.
He explained that his function is to build a water tank that will send water into the community system and henceforth flow in the various taps and he assured that the water will be of good quality as chlorine will be injected into the water to improve on the sanitation.
He however urged the local water committee that will be created to sensitize the population to endeavor long term maintenance on the project asking them to seek advice from other neighboring communities who are presently enjoying proper water management as this will go a long way to sustain the project for long as the village continues to exist.
The Regional Delegate for Water and Energy, Zaboya Baoua Adile, lauded the initiative of SONARA to have come to the assistance of the Wovia Community and pleaded that the benefitting community must treat the gift with a lot of caution for the benefit of the general population.
On behalf of the Chief who was unavoidably absent, the Chairperson of the village traditional Council, Engemise Mathias, thanked SONARA endlessly for the wonderful gift and promised that they will live no stone unturned to ensure that the project succeeds. “We will on our part ensure that water crisis which has been our greatest nightmare for the past 20 years will be a forgotten past” he added.
Mola Njie Henry, President of Limbe Indigenous Civil Society International Impact Follow up Association LICSEIFA declared to the press that his Association actually lobbied for the water project that Wovia is benefitting today and expressed satisfaction to have contributed in that light.
He however, pleaded that SONARA should not stop at that but continue to come to the aid of the different communities that surround the enterprise and insisted that SONARA should continue to open their doors whenever they come knocking in the future.
Contrary to what the Wovia population thought, Madam Gladys made the population understand that the water project is not the first gift that SONARA is donating to their communities in its neighborhood stating that the company has been coming to the aid of these communities in the past.
She further clarified that SONARA has been reaching out to these communities but has always done that in silence and has used this Wovia water launch to break that long silence and promised that for the records each time SONARA does something to the community, they will do all it takes to put the population in the know.
Representatives of the Wovia Community poses with SONARA representatives