By Alemma-Ozioruva Aliu

BENIN CITY – TWO septuagenarians, Bishop Christopher Umane and Elder Sunday Ihenhen in Edo State, have beseeched Governor Godwin Obaseki to rescue residents of their communities from flood and erosion.

They said that their homes and those of other residents of Bob Oshodi Avenue, Off Ihama Road, Government Reservation Road, GRA, and Ihenhen, Agboma area, Ekewan Road, Benin City, were endangered.

Obaseki

Residents disenchanted with govt

Umane, Bishop of Orthodox Anglican Communion, who resides at Bob Oshodi Avenue, disclosed that he had been sand-filling the two sides of the avenue to his house to enable him navigate the entrance to his house, which was always flooded.

He said residents were becoming frustrated over the seeming abandonment by government, adding: “We have tried our best as a  community. I brought the Commissioner for Works here, I brought House of Assembly members to this place, but nothing major has happened. They kept promising that something will be done but I have not seen anything being done.

“If I have not been filling the two sides of the road, it would have been impossible to access my house,” the man of God lamented.

Oshiomhole intervened, dumped project

Ihenhen, a retired entrepreneur living in a modest building he built with his life’s earnings on Agboma Lane, said his home and others were experiencing incessant flooding which started about 25 years ago.

NDV discovered that adjoining streets to 1st, including 2nd Agboma Lane, 3rd Agboma Lane, Efosa Lane and Alkali Street were all swamped.

In fact, the entire stretch of Alkali from Ekenwan Road to Erunmwese has been rendered completely impassable, forcing residents to abandon their homes.

Ihenhen said the community had approached  previous governments, but only the government of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole attempted to come to their aid with the Ministry of Works bringing rollers apparently for underground drain, which was later abandoned.

People are restless here

“I have been here for the past 30 years, the flooding situation is terrible. Any time it rains, our houses are always flooded. We have no peace here at all, we want government to come and help us; the previous government tried, they brought rollers there but did not complete the job, and we are still suffering the same thing today. This erosion has been on for about 25 years now,” he said.

Govt hasn’t abandoned project –  Comm Ohonbamu

Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Paul Ohonbamu, told NDV:  “Successive governments did not do anything about these roads for a long time until Comrade Adams Oshiomhole came and this present government of Mr Godwin Obaseki has continued.

“Like the area in Agboma, that place is one of the tributaries to the Water Storm project which is still on-going, when completed; there will be respite for the people. No area will be abandoned by this government. But our people should also play their part by always desilting their drainages. Some build on right of way of rain water,” he said.