The Cry of Enhwen People; Oil Producing Community Littered with Abandoned Projects

The Cry of Enhwen People; Oil Producing Community Littered with Abandoned Projects

By Joy Uchejim FPR

The people of the oil producing community of Ehwen, Isoko South Local Government Area has cried out to the state government over the dilapidated state of Government projects in the community. The oil producing community, under the Oil Mineral License (OML) 30 have suffered greatly due to the barbaric abadonment of projects by government agencies.

One of such projects is the community health care center that was being built. According to  sources, the health care center project was commissioned by the NDDC in 2012, however, due to reasons unknown to the people the project was left halfway and has been so for nearly a decade. 

It is highly appalling that a community which is a vital part of the state's source revenue is left without a single facility to aid health. 

According to residents who sought anonymity, the site of the health care project is highly flood prone and absolutely inaccessible during rainy season. When FocalPoint Reporters visited the site on Tuesday, it was totally abandoned and shrouded by thick bushes and crops.

 The residents of the community have also criticized the state government over the bad roads in the community.

The residents, specifically, lamented the deplorable state of the Olumoro-Ehwen road that links the Benin/Sapele Express road to Asaba.

The popularly commuted road has been commissioned severally under different government administration. However, the road which is the only route plied by travellers going and coming from  Onitsha is yet to transcend from the deplorable state it is in.

Ehwen/Olumoru road has been commissioned severally from the late 90's, then again in 2003 under the  former Governor Ibori's administration by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the road was then  commissioned again in 2007 by Uduaghan's administration and still, it had remained in its terribly deplorable state until 2015 under the Governor Okowa's first tenure when the road underwent reconstruction. Workson Industry received the contract to construct the road and it tarred the road to a certain level before  once again abandoning the road and according to residents, fleeing the community.

Thereafter, the road has been a source of despair and frustration to the people of Ehwen and to the motorists and drivers who ply the road. During the rainy season, the  road is deemed a danger zone and impassible thereby hampering on the mobility of the commuters who have to battle to ply the route due to the flooding it suffers. This is as a result of the poor and incomplete drainage system.

Speaking with a human right activitist, Comr. Steven Duke, he criticised the Okowa-led administration for abandoning the major road which is a gateway into the state from different parts of the country.

When FocalPoint Reporters visited the road on Tuesday, it was observed that the road was in deep canal-like form which is prone to massive flooding and it was also noticed that commuters have great difficulty pling the road even in its dry state.

An Okada rider and a resident of the community, Godfrey Ashanaba, while decrying the state of the road, noted that the current administration had turned a blind eye to the plight of road users and residents of the community who plied the road daily. He said, “we have been suffering because of this road for years. When going to work or farms, we have to ply this road. Even our pregnant women have to pass this road to get to a hospital to deliver and due to the steeps potholes and it is very dangerous for them", the biker said.

Also responding, Osha Eneruvie, a farmer in the community lamented that during the rainy season, the whole road and even the farms surrounding it is totally flooded because of the lack of drainage in the road.

The people are appealing for a prompt address to their diverse problems as is their right as an oil producing community.

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