Isaac Ombe, Yenagoa
Residents of Epie Creek, a major canal that envelopes Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, have expressed concern over what they called continued neglect by the Governor Douye Diri -led administration in the state.
The Epie creek has been a major source of flooding due to lack of dredging and there has been several calls to dredge the creek to nip the flooding but in vain.
Residents of the flood-prone area, who spoke with members of the Federated Correspondents Chapel of the Nigerian Union of Journalists during a tour of the area, on Wednesday, expressed worries that the state government has not cared about the plight of residents around the creek.
Most residents who spoke on the issue said that dredging the canal would be the major solution to check flooding situation around the area.
They complained that the state government has not taken proactive steps to alleviate the sufferings of residents despite huge monthly allocations accruing the state.
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Some of them suggested that if the state government was scarred of the high cost of the dredging project, it should partner the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to dredge the creek which is an important site in Yenagoa the state capital.
Pastor Tariebi Blessed Kalakai, a resident who spoke on the issue said
“Goverment should dredge the creek, it will go a long way to check the yearly flooding that has affected most houses beside the creek
“But most times goverment go on crash programme when flood comes. The real solution to this creek is to pile it from Igbogene to Goverment House. That is all.
“Goverment should partner with NDDC and do it in phases, people will be happy . Goverment is a continuum. if this goverment can’t complete it, another will continue with it.
“The major problem of flooding in Bayelsa state is the Epie Creek which is connecting all the communities. If government can dredge it above flood level ,it will help ” he added .
He stressed that Natherlands which has same terrain with Bayelsa state enjoys such dredgings.
According to the Pastor, residents have been suffering the neglect by government not to take care of the situation despite the billions that comes into the state.
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According to him, the state government’s inability to take proactive steps would continue to affect not only residents along the communities but even relatives of top government officials.
“We decided that lets be suffering and smiling because we are all affected, even their relatives.”
He attributed the continued neglect as lack of government will.
“We see it as a poor state of our government despite the huge amount of monthly allocations that accrues the state.
“Posterity will continue to remember Chief Melford Okilo, a one time governor of Old Rivers state who made some inroads in the area of flood control during his tenure as governor of the then Rivers state which included the present day Bayelsa State.”
Mrs. Kate Wilson, also a resident in the flood infested area, appealed that when the creek is dredged, a standard bridge should be constructed to cross the creek to the communities.
Her words, ” There should be a standard bridge to cross the creek when the place is dredged, because we have no bridge crossing this place” she noted.
Another concerned resident, David Patrick Igidi, also accused the state government of causing the sufferings of residents around the Epie canal.
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He said most flood periods witnessed the presence of snakes, armed robbers and even corpse flow from a mortuary around the area.
According to Igidi, “The neglect of the Epie Creek is caused by government
“No official bridge connecting communities by the canal
“Goverment should open up this creek . Every day, during flooding period we pay lots of money to get to our houses, snakes are all around our houses during flood, armed robbers also have fields day here as Corpse flow from a nearby mortuary to our houses”.
The whole creek is made up of plywood bridges constructed by community efforts as most of them are prone to accidents.”
Currently there are two major bridges under construction abandoned for years that suppose to have crossed the hitherto sprawling communities along the flood infested creek that is currently dried and farming activities are the order of the day for now because of the dry season which is seeing great signs of rain and flood by the Conner.
Some residents of Yenagoa, the state capital, also expressed concerns over government’s inability to use the monthly sanitation exercises to keep the gutters clean.
Most of the gutters and drainages are left with plastic and other wastes with stinking odour around the state capital.
They decried that during the exercise , sanitation agents never enforced clean ups ,instead they go about extorting money from traders.
Mr. Kemeyai Dideke said ” the monthly sanitation exercise embarked by the state government never also helped matters.
“Such days are more of mere exercise in futility. Sanitation agents never enforced clean- ups but only extorts money from traders, even as people are forced to only stay indoors till end of the exercise.”
But the Director General of Bayelsa State Flood and Erosion Control Agency, Chief Suvyr, Omuso Wilson, who responded to questions from correspondents on the sorry state of drainages and gutters in the state capital , described the lack of funds as major factor militating against the agency’s activities.
He says the agency is waiting for the second tenure administration of governor Douye Diri to swing into action for it to also commence work on the blocked drainages.
“Funds haven’t been released . Once funds are released we go into action.
” Now there is no even SSG to apply for funds. Once government is in place , funds will be made available for us to work.
“Since we came on board , May last year , we carried out some skeletal works, he said and “thanked Governor Diri to have set up the agency” .
