By SAMUEL OYADONGHA & EMEM IDIO

YENAGOA—AN  abandoned Bayelsa State Government-owned Housing Estate, located in the Okaka suburb of Yenagoa, is currently providing cheap accommodation and a haven to street urchins, the destitute and different categories of persons, who bizarrely ‘disappear’ with a pot of soup on the fire.

The living conditions of residents of the neglected rambling settlement harshly contrasts with the opulence that exudes from the adjoining Okaka Housing Estate and the serene Palm Avenue axis. Cast off over four years ago, the housing estate, known as the Okaka Housing Estate, Phase II, situated behind the brilliant Okaka Housing Estate, Phase I, is designed to provide one- bedroom accommodation for civil servants.

It is inexplicable why the occupants choose to live and raise their kids in such an environment, where virtually all the basic amenities of life are missing.

Life in the slum

A resident, Mr. Eric Ineife, who has been living in one of the apartments since he ‘discovered’ the place, told Niger Delta Voice that residents pooled resources to connect electricity from the nearby Okaka Housing Estate, Phase I, and pay bills to men of the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company, PHEDC.

Ineife disclosed: “Life here is just like a village setting or camp due to the pattern of living and the dirty environment. However, some important career people are also living here. There is a medical doctor, serving police personnel, Civil Defence Corps and civil servants. There is also a private school where children living here attend.”

The dwellers get their water supply from water vendors popularly known as “Meruwa,” while they answer to the call of nature in the nearby bushes. According to an occupant: “The contractors and site engineers, who handled and supervised the building of the estate were making money and smiling all the way to the bank  because of the rents they receive from the tenants.”

Quick money

His words: “The contractors and site engineers are the ones giving the place out and collecting rent from the tenants. Some pay between N30, 000 to N80, 000 per annum for each one-bedroom apartment depending on the level of completion of the apartment.

“Although I did not pay because one of the engineers is a member of my church, so he gave me free, I am living alone, as my family is elsewhere. After paying the rent, you can use your money to renovate and furnish it to your taste and make it conducive for yourself,” he added.

Hideout for criminals

Niger Delta Voice investigation revealed that the remote location of the estate has made it an attractive place for criminals, who engage in nefarious activities in the city centre, particularly at night and run back to hide after their operations.

The high concentration of virile youths, according to another resident, Mr. John Enebraye, has caused the residents to form a vigilante group to help stem the tide of criminal activities. He said: “Crime rate used to be high when there was no vigilante group. Some youths were breaking into people’s houses to steal mobile phones, pot of soup on the fire,  and other foodstuff.

“Now, the crime rate has reduced drastically because we contribute N200 every month to fund a vigilante group and men of the police force on patrol frequently come around. This also helps to check crimes in the area.”

Population explosion

A concerned Bayelsan, Diepreye John, said: “With the increasing scarcity of decent accommodation in Yenagoa, which is experiencing population explosion, the government has a moral burden to complete the multi-billion naira estate to help ease accommodation problems of its work force and residents.” However, a top government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, assured that government would revisit all development projects in the state when its revenue base improves.