Communities in the oil-rich Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State have cried out over the grave living conditions of the people in the area, as a result of multidimensional environmental and economic challenges, exacerbated by the recent devastating floods that washed off the roads and cut access to the rest of the state.
They expressed dismay over long period of suffering as a result of neglect and exclusion by government at both state and federal levels, who had left them with little or no infrastructure that would make life meaningful for the people.
The affected communities have called on the state government, the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other government agencies for urgent intervention in order to amelioration what they described as “Excruciating economic hardships due to the recurring flood disaster that gravely impacted the harvest of farm produce in the area.”
This call was made in a statement on behalf of the communities, in Lagos by Pastor Godwin Osademe, a rural development advocate and a pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG).
According to Pastor Osademe, the communities most affected included, Akarai Etiti, Akarai Obodo, Umuti, Iyiowu, Onogbokor, Afiankwo, Umuolu, Iyede – Ame, among others.
He said that the “Deplorable situation of these communities has made life unbearable, especially with the absence of social amenities compounded by the flood eroding our once manageable earth road, leading to skyrocketing of prices of goods and services, and worsened by the destruction of agricultural produce which is the main source of livelihood in these communities.”
Osademe said further: “Farmers from these communities now have to plant their crops around January every year and forcefully harvest them prematurely in August due to the floods. Consequently, farmers who used to have excess harvests for sale before now can hardly feed themselves due to premature harvests and have to live in poverty and starvation.
“Another socio-economic challenge faced by these communities is the complete destruction of their once commutable earth but seasonal roads. In the past, these communities used the earth roads to travel freely to Aboh, Kwale and Onitsha to sell their farm produce. Today, the roads are completely in a bad shape and no government nor government Agencies seem to look in the direction of these communities. This is the greatest ordeal these communities are confronted with in this era when the government ought to be nearer to them.
“In 1983, for instance, Governor Ambrose Alli of the defunct Bendel State visited Akarai Etiti and some neighbouring communities and awarded a road project to link these communities to cities. This road has since been abandoned when the Governor could not secure a second term in office. However, under the current Delta State Government, a government nearer to the Ndokwa people, no Governor has visited these communities nor think of any form of assistance.
“As a result of the intractable situation of the roads, lack of portable water and poor or lack of harvests, prices of economic goods have hit the roof. People who live in the villages now have to buy goods two times their prizes in the cities.
“For instance, A bag of cement which is sold for N10,500 each at Aboh is transported for 1,500 each per bag to the nearest community. Even if one was to buy 100 or more bags of cement, the transportation cost remains N1500 for each bag. It is unbelievable to tell anyone that Nigeria and indeed Delta State communities still have to go through these economic and social pains in a modern world where the Millennium Development Goals are preached everywhere.
“Painfully, the entire Ndokwa East, including these communities, are littered with crude oil deposit which feeds the Nigerian nation. The question is: What are the NDDC, DESOPEC and the Delta State Government doing in the face of these unmitigated challenges of these communities?
“These communities need urgent help in terms of roads intervention. And we call on government and it’s agencies to live up to their responsibilities in providing basic infrastructure in these communities for the good of the people.
“The State Government and the NDDC should come to the aid of these communities and save us from this increasingly unbearable conditions.” He said
