Oregbeni community in Ikpoba-Okha local government area of Edo State has appealed to Governor Godwin Obaseki to come to their aid over the devastating effect of gully erosion in the area that have seen a section of the 2km Obaseki Street, cave in to the menace.
The community made the appeal for help to reclaim and reconstruct the street, during a media tour of the area, yesterday.
The secretary of the landlords of Obaseki Street, Mr Bello Imasuen, who spoke on the erosion challenge, said that several houses as well as lives have been lost to the gully that started in the 90s.
He said that not even the self-help initiative of the residents of the street has in anyway reduced the destruction caused by the gully.
The Septuagenarian stressed that unless the government come to their rescue, the residents would record more losses.
According to him, “I have lived here for over 25 years now and I am afraid that the houses some of us had suffered to build may be lost to the menace of erosion gully.
“As you can see, some houses are already gone and only last July, precisely on the 24th, a boy of 12 was washed off by the erosion.
“This problem did not just start today, but in the 90s and we have written series of letters to successive governments in the state, including the present, Godwin Obaseki.
“I daresay that Obaseki responded positively to the one written to him by not only sending a team of experts to carryout an assessment of the problem, but to also work out the cost implication.”
Imasuen who added that the residents of the Obaseki street have resorted to taking longer route to access their houses because of the erosion menace, said that nothing have been heard from the government since the exercise was carried out.
