By Samuel Oyadongha

Yenagoa – people of the riverside town of Anibeze in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, have appealed to the Federal Government to come to their aid by providing a  lasting solution to the erosion menace threatening the community.

Anibeze, a predominantly farming and fishing Isoko community, had lost farmlands, fishing grounds, ponds and lakes as well over 50 houses including a primary school compound and sports field to the erosion menace.

Chairman of Anibeze Patriotic Front, Chief Walter Akeni, who spoke to newsmen in Yenagoa, yesterday, said the situation had gone from bad to worse and that the people were now living in fear as nobody knows whose building would be the next to be swallowed by the erosion caused by the rampaging Forcados River, a tributary of the River Niger.

Chief Akeni, noted with sadness that unless urgent steps were taken to halt the erosion menace, the community may be lost when the dredging of the Lower River Niger commences.

He lamented that the community had suffered untold marginalization since the Federal Government began moves to dredge the River Niger, adding that the people cannot sit idle as the issue has serious implications for their future.

“We are still exploiting available avenues for support from the state government and it is a good thing Governor Seriake Dickson has pledged to address the issue of community development,” he said.

The community is slso seeking assistance from the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, environmental groups and development agencies.

Akeni lamented that since the erosion worsened in the early 90s, the community had been reaching out to the governments and relevant agencies to come to their aid to no avail.