Naiqamu Makes First Govt Visit to Navakuru
Village headman praises minister and takes opportunity to highlight areas of immediate assistance.
The Minister for Forests, Osea Naiqamu, has become the first Government minister to visit Navakuru Village, in the district of Wairiki, Cakaudrove, Vanua Levu.
Mr Naiqamu is on a five-day tour in the Northern Division, which started yesterday. At Navakuru Village, headman Ratu Vere Wawatabua thanked and acknowledged Mr Naiqamu during a session for being the first Government minister to visit the village. Ratu Vere, who has been the village headman for the past two years, said the talanoa session and awareness programme on sandalwood development, timber use and other matters were useful.
Wasting no time during the talanoa session, Ratu Vere used the chance to highlight some of their concerns and made requests as well.
“There are 23 houses, close to a hundred villagers depending on yaqona, dalo, cassava and sandalwood farming as their source of income,” Ratu Vere said.
“This year we planted 100 sandalwood plants and we requested Minister Naiqamu if his ministry could give us 200 sandalwood plants.
“We also requested if a footbridge could be built so that our children could still go to school during rainy days.
When it rained our children can’t walk to Wairiki District School because the crossing gets flooded. There are about 30 children from Navakuru who attend school. “Since Mr Naiqamu is the first Government minister to visit us we used the opportunity to give him our requests and see what possible help we could get.”
Mr Naiqamu immediately directed representatives from the various Government departments to take note of the concerns raised by the villagers and see how best they could be assisted.
The minister also urged the people of Wairiki to plant more trees together to help combat the effects of climate change.
Mr Naiqamu will continue his North tour today visiting the province of Bua. He will hand over the reforestation management plan, tour the nursery and be part of a tree planting programme at Nasesevua in the District of Kubulau.