By Ighomuaye Lucky. O
Residents of Ikpoba Hill in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo have barricaded the ever-busy Ikpoba Hill road due to government’s failure to dredge the Ikpoba River, leaving motorists stranded for several hours.
The residents who trooped out in their numbers chanting solidarity songs and brandishing placards, barricaded the road while insisting that the government should mobilize the contractor it allegedly awarded the contract to, to site and resume operations.
Addressing Journalists at the head of the bridge of the river, the youth leader of the community, Ken Omusi said the state governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, sometime in July this year, assured them that the contract for the dredging of the river has been awarded to a contractor.
He said up till this very moment, they are yet to see equipment and workers being mobilized to site.
Omusi said the river, due to massive erosion from the different parts of the state into it, coupling with the heavy rainfall, the river often overflows its bank into people’s homes.
“The problem we are having now, is the water is pushing the bridge. You can see the water is touching the asphalt from the base and this can lead to more destructions of lives and property.
“We don’t want what is happening here to turn into something else, that is why we are calling on the general public to help us beg governor Godwin Obaseki and we also calling on the Governor-elect that this is the problem we are facing in this community and that he should take it as one of his first project that he will embark on if he is sworn-in as governor of the state”, Omusi said.
Speaking also, Mrs. Ijeh Isoken, a resident of the community lamented that all her personal effects have been destroyed by water from the river which overflows its bank into her room.
She said, worst still, few days ago, a young boy was swept away from his room and his remains are yet to be found “Two days back, look at this very house closer to you, a young boy was sleeping inside his room when water suddenly entered his room and swept him away. We have been looking for his dead body, we have not seen, we have even gone to hire divers, yet they have not been able to find his body.
“So, we are begging the governor to come to our rescue to avoid a reoccurrence”
Also speaking, Kent Imafidon, said that for the fact that the governor has told the world that he has awarded the contract of the dredging to a contractor, most people are of the views that work is ongoing already whereas nothing is happening at the site.
He appealed to the governor to fulfill his promise to the people of the community.
For Princess Omusi Ehue, she said they will not wait until the water sweeps everybody away from the community before they can call the attention of the government to it.
She said the overflow of the river into their houses has made life unbearable for everyone of them in the community noting that, they are forced to spend all their earnings in the treatment of malaria because of the mosquito bites.
Princess Ehue however called on the state government to mobilize the said contractor to site in order to start the dredging of the river.
For Mrs. Christiana Ehue, she said that they can no longer stay in their houses while tenants have also parked out of their houses.
She blamed the overflow of the river on the channelling of the several drainage systems into it, stressing that the only solution to the problem is for the state government to help in the dredging of the river.
