Chiefs, women and youths of Obogoro Community situated along the Ikoli River in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State are calling the attention of both the Federal and State Governments to come to their aid as their community is being threatened by erosion that is gradually pushing them to the brink of extinction.
Daily Watch visited the Community that is five minutes drive away from Government House, Yenagoa, to verify claims that several buildings have been lost to erosion, it was learnt that a school building, Jetty, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members lodge and several houses have been washed into Ikoli River.
A visit to the National Youth Service Corps Members lodge revealed that part of the biulding has been washed into the river, while handy men had pulled off roofing sheets and woods from the building, in a bid to save them for future use.
Also, the community primary school that served as a ground where children from within and outside the community acquire basic education had also been abandoned because essential parts of the facility including the Headmaster’s Quarter, football field and several classrooms have been washed into the Ikoli River by the erosion.
It was also learnt that since St. Paul primary school, located in Famgbe, a neighbouring community, that would have served as an alternative for pupils has long been washed into the river, children from Obogoro are now being forced to travel far to acquire basic education.
Reports also have it that farmlands with crops worth hundreds of thousands of Naira have been lost to the perennial erosion, having adverse effect on the economic and social lives of the people of the Obogoro Community, and that in spite of several letters written to Government over the challenges they face, respite is yet to come their way.
Speaking with the Paramount Ruler of the Community, HRH Monday Igodo, said ‘’right now our primary school is seriously affected. We have lost the Corpers Lodge to erosion. The river banks are eroding, and eroding very fast. The Corpers lodge that was very far from the bank of the river is now affected, forcing us to abandon it.
“Well, some of these environmental problems are natural while some are man-made. Our own is a natural occurence and not man-made. It has been there and we have written to many people, even to the Federal Government to come to our aid over this erosion issue but nothing has been done. We are like a people who live in water but are forced to use our saliva to have our bath daily.
“Another troubling issue we have is that we can see electricity from across the bridge where Government House is located but we have not had it in two years. Just imagine, Akaba Community has light, Famgbe Community has light but we that are trapped in the middle of these two Communities have not had light for two years.
“This goes to explain the level abandonment we suffer in the hands of government. As a community, we have tried our best to help ourselves by repairing the transformer but it has failed to work. You know that anywhere there is light businesses thrive. And where businesses thrive, there is peace.
“So as a community we are worried about the prolonged blackout and erosion broblems we are experiencing because our youths who engage themselves in trades like welding, hair dressing, sewing, electronic and electrical works are now idle. And our worry is that we don’t want a situation where their idle minds would turn into the devil’s workshop. So we need government assistance urgently.”
Also speaking, the secretary of the community’s council of chiefs, Chief Unenadu Igwele, said ‘’the erosion has been our problem for over two decades. And it came gradually, starting from the Famgbe end, a neighbouring community. It has eaten deep into Famgbe and driven that community into the swamps.
“And that is what is going to happen to us if nothing is done about the erosion. Unfortunately in our own case, at the face of this development, we don’t even have where to shift to. Everywhere is occupied now.”
Recounting her experience of the disaster, the women leader of Obogoro Community, Chief Patience Amagbopere said ‘’when I was newly married into this community, walking from the waterside to the school house, was a long distance. But now you can see everything here, even the goal post is being shifted again and again towards the school, as other parts of the facility have gone into the river.
“You can see the Corpers’ lodge here being deroofed. We want to appeal, as a people, people of Bayelsa and as a mother, I don’t have any other faith. I am begging, pleading and crying, that the state government, even the Federal Government should look into our plight. We are begging. After this time, our children would not be able to attend school here because we are afraid that most of them don’t know how to swim.
“If one child walk down here and falls into the water, the child may drown. We are afraid and that is why we are begging and appealing to the State Government to come and restore Obogoro community.
“Aside these, we have also lost large part of our farmland to the erosion. As you know our major means of livelihood as a people are farming and fishing. Losing our homes to the erosion is traumatizing, talk more losing our means of livelihood. That would mean extinction of Ogbogoro people.”
Expressing fears that his father’s house may soon give way due to the devastating erosion, the Obogoro youths secretary, Comrade Inisom Amabopre, said “the situation i find myself is pathetic. The erosion is affecting us badly. The first house built by my father has been washed into the river by the erosion few years back. As you can see the new one my father built to cover our heads is at the edge of the river bank and would soon be washed away in a matter of months.
“Our community is pleading to the state and federal government to come to our rescue because the flood will soon come, when you return to our community, you will certainly not see many houses you are seeing today. They would be washed away by erosion if nothing is done urgently.”
Giving an insight of how the prolonged electricity blackout has affected socioeconomic activities in the Community, the Vice President of the Youths Council, Miss Onotime Nelson explained that “for almost two years now Obogoro Community has been in what could be called a total blackout.
“If you walk from the beginning of the community to the end, you would see that many stores are closed because we have not seen electricity for a long time. As I speak with you, I run a business that depends on electricity to thrive and the fact that we don’t have power supply is affecting my business badly.
“It is more disheartening to inform you also that this community is suffering from all these in spite of the fact that the King of Atissa Kingdom, the host of the seat of government in Bayelsa, His Royal Majesty Godwin Igodo hails from and resides in this town. We have made several efforts to write government to come to our aide but to no avail.”
And according to the Youth President, Comrade Yambo-Izibe Goodnews, said “Obogoro is just five minutes drive from the Government House of Bayelsa State, yet we have written several letters to the State Ministry of Power informing them of our problems but they have not even visited our community to confirm if we are telling the truth or we are lying. To permanently solve this our problem, we need at least three or two transformers installed in our community.”
