By Victor Omoregie
Vanguard spoke to one of the elders of Gelegele, Chief Kokoroko , whois an enigma and claims to be many things aside from being a chief and a Nigeria Police personnel.

First he would not want his photograph in print, as he  said he was still a civil servant. However he said he could still speak on issues concerning Gelegele.

CONGRATULATIONS. Your community would soon have a brand new seaport in the nearest future.

Well, thank you for the compliments, but I have my doubts whether the proposed seaport would see the light of the day. The elders of the community have been holding series of meetings on how to put across our views to government with respect to the delay in the construction of the seaport.

General’ Obei…expecting Oshiomhole

We all know that a new seaport will change the face of Gelegele and boost its economy. There would be employment for our youths. I ask, what we have  done to the government to warrant this total neglect. (Then sounding satirical) “All the lizards, rats and frogs at Gelegele” want the seaport completed.

Aside from the seaport, what do you desire for your community?

Gelegele urgently needs a market. Our women need to get busy. Life for our women should not be all about making babies. They have to keep busy by involving themselves in some form of commerce.

Provision of good roads

Next would be the provision of good roads. Roads open up a community and enhance development. Most importantly would be provision of drinkable pipe borne water. Can you imagine what it is like not to have drinkable water in a community.

If you do not have access to drinkable water, then how do you cope with cooking, bathing and of washing clothes?

For drinking water, we buy pure water at N20 per sachet, which is brought in from Benin by the local provision store merchant. For other uses of water, members of the community go into the bush to look for clean streams.

This is not just going in search of any stream. You have to search very well for a clean and suitable one. All this is because most of the streams within the area have become polluted by crude oil that seeps into the water basin under the earth.

What has the oil company prospecting oil in Gelegele done to assist the community in providing clean drinkable water or any other welfare projects.

Aside from the epileptic supply of electricity to some parts of the community, there is nothing to show as the company’s contribution to the development of the area.  If the company wants to rate itself because of the electricity it provides, it is worthy of note to state here that nearly every house in the community has one form of generator or the other.

We are in dire need of a well-equiped health center. This would take care of our women and the children. Our pregnant women go through hell to give birth. Ante-natal sessions are done in Benin City. If not for our local birth attendants, the child mortality rate within the community would have been very high.

Any final words?

Gelegele is part of Nigeria and her indigenes deserve to be protected and catered for like every other citizen of Nigeria.