- Residents Seek Oborevwori’s Intervention
BY PATRICK MGBODO
Inside the heart of the Okpanam community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, a leviathan serpent slithers malevolently through the flora. Nothing in its path is spared–trees, poles, farmlands, and even houses. Her insatiable hunger rages. It drags its trail of destruction from the tributaries of the River Niger, leaving agony in its wake. This is Igwogwo.
The Amachai community in Okpanam has remained serene, thriving with life and prospects. Children would chatter to the streams, splashing the cold waters on their bodies in excitement on a balmy morning. The women would wash their cassava and allow it to ferment in preparation for the mouth-watering dishes after a day or two. Those were in the good old days.
As the years rolled by, the community became home to many visitors who bought plots of land and decided to settle there permanently. But their joy was cut short in 2019 when the once plain lands developed cracks, which have since metamorphosed into a monstrous gorge.
Speaking with The Pointer, a resident of the area, Mr Jude Ejakpomevi, recounted that the areas they used to pass through to their homes have become a big ditch. ‘’Before now, tippers used to drive through this place, but now they cannot. This place has become a very big threat to us’’ he said.
Mr Ejakpomevi called for urgent government intervention to bridle the menace, adding that with every rain that falls, the gully becomes more audacious, more dangerous. ‘’In 2022, we cried to the government, and the Ministry of Environment came here to see things for themselves. The commissioner expressed sympathy and promised urgent intervention. But nothing happened afterwards.
‘’When the rains come, it is a big problem for our children to go to school. We cannot drive our cars. My vehicle has been in the house for many years now’’ he said, adding that although the gully hasn’t claimed any life, a man once fell into it and was quickly rescued by other residents in the area.
Corroborating Mr Ejakpomevi, another resident of the area, Mr Daniel Dibie, popularly known as Jordan, said the gully began in 2019 and ‘’before you know it, it cut off the 60-feet access road and then started its rapid encroachment.’’ He added that they have reported the situation to various government bodies and have been getting promises that remain unfulfilled.
‘’Suddenly, we started hearing information that the World Bank, in collaboration with NEWMAP, is going to do something about it. The current member representing Ndokwa East, Ndokwa West and Ukwuani Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Hon Nnamdi Ezechi, moved a motion on this.
‘’Suddenly, NEWMAP started inviting us for meetings and even set up a committee for this purpose. They came with a company, Zutari Engineering, and they did the scoping of the area two years ago. That was when they promised us that they would fix the entire area: Amachai, Ogbeozoma and Vanguard.
‘’After they finished their scoping, we had another meeting where they informed us that they were waiting for funding as the foreign donors had yet to release funds. Later, they invited us to the design presentation at the state secretariat in Asaba. After everything, we didn’t hear from them again.
‘’Then, about three months ago, they started calling for meetings again; they want to do something, and they were asked to liaise with the community; they want to mark buildings on the pathway. At the end of the day, they will disappear without doing anything.
‘’The last time they came here was when they invited us for a meeting. They said they want to do some palliative measures on the gully and then we demanded to know the nature of the palliative. They said they will help us reclaim some of the gully, and then stop further encroachment and then do the rest when funding comes. They came here, took videos and left, and up till now, we have not seen them again’’ Mr Dibie said.
He added that residents of the communities have tasked themselves several times to build concrete embankments in their bid to wrestle the gully, but every time it rains, their efforts crumble with the mud. ‘’In 2023, I mobilised my people, and we contributed money to build a retaining wall, which lasted until late last year before we built a new one. We spent nothing less than N3.5 million to build it’’ he said.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Amachai Landlords Association, Mr Chukwunonye Okonkwo, who is also the interim youth chairman of Amachai Youths, was blunt in his observation, dismissing superstitious notions now associated with the gully.
‘’This thing is a result of neglect. People say it is Mammy-Water (marine spirit), but I do not believe it. I believe that this is just a natural waterway, and all that is needed is to construct it properly and make it a stronger canal. When it rains, water comes from all directions to this place and then flows to the River Niger through the Anwai River. The gully has consumed some of our electric poles.
‘’We know that our Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, is active and working hard to transform Delta State. We also heard that he has paid the N1 billion counterpart funding for the NEWMAP project. But we do not understand what is happening now.
‘’We fear that the rains will soon come, and we have nowhere to go. We don’t think some of these buildings will survive the coming rains. There are more than 200 buildings in this area, and they are all threatened by this gully. We need help, and we are calling on our governor to help us and urgently too’’ he said.
Another landlord, Mr Solomon Okelikwu, who spoke with The Pointer, said he has watched the gully for over six years inch closer to his house. ‘’If not for the intervention of the landlords, it would have been more than it is today,’’ he said, adding ‘’During the rainy season, all the waters from Asaba, Okpanam Roundabout come here, and the buildings around are at risk
‘’We are pleading that the government should come and intervene; they should help us and address the gully, build a road and proper drainage so that the whole water will be channelled properly to the river. This is a natural waterway’’ he said, adding ‘’the volume of water here whenever it rains can swallow a car. People would have to park their cars on the road and come back the next day to pick up their vehicles.’’
Similarly, a retired civil servant and landlord in the area, Mr Tony Olu, said, ‘’The landlords here are mostly retired civil servants who bought these lands through cooperatives, having served their fatherlands for 35 years or the mandatory retirement age of 60.
‘’This gully has made life very difficult and expensive for us, especially during the rains. We are charged over N700 by motorcyclists (Okada) to move from here to the Okpanam Roundabout because the road is very deplorable. Many of us still have children and dependents who still have to pay this transportation fare, too.
‘’The gully grows each year. We know that our governor is doing very well. He has done so well in other parts of the state, and everybody can see it. Since Amachai is in the state capital territory, we plead with the governor to extend his kind gestures to us’’ he said.
When The Pointer visited the area, several building projects at various stages of completion were left abandoned as the gully had made it difficult for the transportation of building materials, and even worse, scared the investors away.
For how long would these residents continue to feed on empty promises while the gully continues its onslaught? While their faith in the governor remains strong, an urgent intervention could be all the miracle that they need.
