By Onomiguren Agbamu
Residents and Motorist plying Douglas Abuloje road, off community road extension in Amukpe, Sapele, the administrative headquarters of Sapele local government area of Delta State have sent “a save-our-soul message” to the Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori-led government over the deplorable condition of the road in the area for 13 whole years without any hope at sight.
ReeoTv with additional report that “the residents also urged the government to look into the epileptic power supply, which had left the area in total blackout for over 13 years”.
“The road links to several parts of Sapele including Shell Road, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Road, Seplate among others.
Due to the dilapidated State of the road, it leads to heavy flooding, thereby making tenants and landlords unable to access their houses and compounds.
Also, very worrisome about the bad nature of the road, car owners park their vehicles on the constructed portion of the road, far away from their houses and residential homes.
Whenever it rains, it renders residents handicap as their children are unable to attend school, business owners are unable to come to work.
Some residents said floodwaters have overtaken their houses, as they cannot do anything apart from staying to save their property from destruction.
The road, named Douglas Abuloje road, off Community Road, has left residents with untold hardship, nightmares, frustration as it lacks drainages that could help flood water to flow out with ease.
Despite several letters written by the residents, the government has continued to pay deaf ears to the plights of these law-abiding citizens, whose only sins are to Deltans or other residents who bought and developed their lands.
Landlords are the worst hit, as their tenants have abandoned their houses for safer and better environments following the unprecedented suffering experienced each day that passes by.
During the raining season, the handful of residents who still manage to occupy the houses including their landlords swims to their houses.
Residents suffers double tragedy to access their houses and live comfortably following the acute darkness that bedeviled the area.
One of the landlords, Eze Peter Olise, from Enugu State, disclosed that they have been suffering from the menace for years.
“The road is constructed to Power Line to this point, they then crossed and continued from Shell Road axis. We don’t know what happened, we are pleading with the State government to come to our aid as we will not be swimming water daily into our houses.
“I learned that some people, even flood water, have entered into their compounds and houses as there is no road into the area. Some tenants are relocating from the area.
“Anywhere there is no development, it means witches are occupying the place. We are pleading with the State government to help us to construct the road for us.
“It is not a long kilometer of road that cannot be constructed. We are still voting for them, and we are contributing our quota for the government to continue to build infrastructure for the people.
“That is why we are voting for them. The way they constructed the road halfway, road construction is not done that way.
“Even if it is sand, they should pour on the road to make it passable. Vehicles or motorcycles cannot ply the road, apart from trekking it. Every raining season, this is how we suffer it”, he wept.
“Some housewives who spoke disclosed that they have fallen off from motorbike with their children on their backs severally, particularly when coming back from the market and sometimes returning after filling their gas cylinders.
One said she has fallen for about five times while on bike, while another said she fell with her gas cylinder on her head and her baby on her back.”
They called on the Oborevwori government to come to their rescue, even as they pay security fees in an area not secured due to the bad road and constant epileptic power supply.”
Reacting to the viral video, Director General, Delta State Orientation and Communications Bureau, Dr (Barr) Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, has said that the state governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori is paying adequate attention to the rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads in Sapele, and in all local government areas of the state.
He made the disclosure in reaction to the purported arrest of a Deltan in Sapele over his trending video on social media platforms, wherein he was sighted bathing in dirty road waters to attract government attention, saying that the young man ought to consider the health implication of his misguided action.
Dr Oghenesivbe affirmed the right of citizens to demand government interventions over dilapidated roads or infrastructural decay in their constituencies or Communities whenever the need arises, but that a situation where a citizen had to expose himself to possible health hazard to attract government attention is not acceptable, and must not be encouraged by any right thinking individual.
He said governor Oborevwori had in recent times approved the rehabilitation and reconstruction of over 15 kilometers of internal roads in Sapele town and it’s environ”
“The trending video of a young man bathing in dirty road water is distasteful, and should not be encouraged by any right thinking individual.
“Bathing in contaminated water can cause certain health problems including; skin irritation caused by contact with small larvae called cercarias, eye, ear and throat infections, among others. This is not the right way or strategy to attract government attention”.
