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. These conditions result from 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 a long period of suffering due to neglect and exclusion by the government at both state and federal levels, leaving 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 to ameliorate what they described as “Excruciating economic hardships due to the recurring flood disaster that gravely impacted the harvest of farm produce in the area.”
Pastor Godwin Osademe, a rural development advocate and pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), made this call in a statement on behalf of the communities in Lagos.
According to Pastor Osademe, the affected communities included Akarai Etiti, Akarai Obodo, Umuti, Iyiowu, Onogbokor, Afiankwo, Umuolu, and Iyede-Ame.
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, “Farmers from these communities now have to plant their crops around January yearly 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 these communities face is the 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 streets are entirely in lousy shape, and neither government nor government agencies seem to be looking in the direction of these communities. This is the most extraordinary ordeal these communities face in this era when the government should 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 thought of any assistance.
“Due to the intractable situation of the roads, lack of potable water and poor or lack of harvests, prices of economic goods have hit the roof. People living in the villages now have to buy goods twice as much as their city price.
“For instance, A bag of cement sold for N10,500 each at Aboh is transported for 1,500 each per bag to the nearest community. Even if one buys 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 deposits that feed the Nigerian nation. The question is: What are the NDDC, DESOPEC, and Delta State Government doing in the face of these unmitigated challenges for these communities?
“These communities need urgent help in terms of road intervention. We call on the government and its 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 aid these communities and save us from these increasingly unbearable conditions.” He said.
