Residents cry out as flood takes over road to Ex-President's hometown

dimeji akinloye

September 24, 2016 5:35 PM

Agah, a staff of the Federal University, Otuoke (FUO), appealed to Bayelsa Government to come to the aide of the community for the sake of FUO.

Flooding (Illustration)

Otuoke-Onuebum road in Ogbia Local Government Area of

Mr Amos Agah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Otuoke on Saturday that passengers are now paying N800 instead of N400 from Otuoke to Onuebum.

“This was how it happened in October 2012, when flood took over the whole community, but up till now, there was no proper preventive measure put in place.

“We are expecting the government to come up with necessary measures to guard against future occurrence, but it is a matter of regret that such measures are not in place.

“The students of FUO will resume to school soon after their holidays, they are going to find things difficult if urgent action is not taken to mitigate the effect of the flood.

“I am calling on all relevant authorities to look into the matter because we cannot cope with it again this year.’’

Also, Mrs Maureen Abute, a passenger, blamed Bayelsa Government for not properly utilising Flood Intervention Fund that was given to the state in 2012 to fight against flooding.

She said that the people were suffering and they could not do anything because the government was not ready to live up to its responsibility of preventing flood and rehabilitating the road.

ALSO READ: Flood covers major road to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan's hometown, Otuoke

A taxi driver plying the road, Mr Issac Chinedum, said the road was already in a bad shape before the flood sub-merged it.

He implored the Federal Government to come to the assistance of the people of Bayelsa because the Bayelsa government had neglected the road over the years.

Chinedum said the youth in the community were the ones sand filling the road, “the commercial drivers are paying them from the little profit they are making.’’

dimeji akinloye