By Cynthia Alo

The people of Esanma community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State have called on the management of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to speed up payment of compensation to the community.

A cross section of Niger Delta youths during the programme.

NDDC through a hired valuer firm, Chris Oghene Omoru & Co, last year, paid compensation to communities along the Bomadi-Gbaregolor-Esanma-Akugbene-Gbekebor ongoing road project over the destruction of their property and livelihood.

A heated argument, however, ensued between the valuer firm and Esanma community over claims of payment and non-payment of compensation to the latter, which led to the community stopping the construction firm, Setraco Nig. Ltd, from carrying out work on site.

Speaking with newsmen,  the community chairman, Mr Theophilus Omoro, said the community was vindicated after a meeting with the NDDC earlier this year, stressing that the agency had discovered the claim by the valuer firm was false.

He said: “NDDC invited both parties to a meeting in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State and found out that the claim of the valuer firm was not true.

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“NDDC absolved Esanma community of any blame and promised that they would raise a memo to effect payment to the community after the general election. I want to use this medium to call on the management of NDDC to facilitate the payment as promised, now that the elections are over.

“I also want to appeal that they should construct drainage channels on both sides of the ongoing access road in the community as it currently has none to avoid flooding in the community.”