Leader thanks O’Neill for giving K80mil to Chimbu

A LEADER in the new Jiwaka province has thanked Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for giving more than K80 million to Chimbu province.
Jiwaka Transitional Authority law and order chairman Billy Kolip said yesterday last Saturday was the first time he had seen a “prime minister give big money to a province”.
Kolip said the money would benefit the majority of the people living in rural areas of the six districts in the province.
He said Jiwaka shared a provincial boundary with Chimbu and the K3 million for Kerowagi-Dona would benefit people in the two provinces.
Kolip said even though, O’Neill gave the money to Chimbu, he was happy as it would help people living in rural areas.
“I wish O’Neill could do the same for the new Jiwaka province,” he said.
He said it was the lack of goods and services in the districts that saw rural people drifting into cities and towns.
He said with the initiative by the O’Neill-led government to help people in the districts, they would not see people moving into cities and towns looking for services and causing all sort of problems.
 Kolip said when the country started exporting its gas from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Hela and Gulf provinces, more money would come into the country.
He said if the country had people like O’Neill  as prime minister after the national election, all districts in the country would receive a major face-lift.