*LG chair, Asekutu, DESOPADEC Commissioner, Spencer lead inspection team to Egbema
By Victor Lewis
Amid severe discomfort, hunger and lack of shelter, the people of Egbema kingdom in Warri North Local Government Area of Delta State have called on the State, Federal, Local Governments, oil companies operating in the area and NGOs to urgently mobilize for immediate attention to alleviate the suffering of hundreds of displaced persons whose houses, schools, churches, farmlands, live stocks and fishing settlement have been wiped away by an unprecedented flood which woke up the residents from their sleep in the early hours of Saturday 16th September, 2023.
It would be recalled that the Delta State government had, three weeks ago, sent a special team led by the Honourable Commissioner for Environment including the Warri North Local Government Council chairman, Hon. Smart Asekutu, to the oil-producing communities of Egbema kingdom for the purpose of preparing against the pending flood in the area. While the government was still putting together some preemptive measures, the residents of Opuama and Tsekelewu-Polubobo woke up on Saturday morning last week to the unwanted visitor as residential houses, schools, churches, farmlands, fishing ponds and farm crops were overtaken by flood.
Most affected residents in the affected communities had relocated to a few higher spaces in their areas while others are taking refuge in their dug-out canoes like the biblical Noah as the flood keeps swelling the water level which some persons had described as unprecedented.
The Local Government chairman, Hon. Smart Asekutu and the Commissioner representing the Ijaw nation in DESOPADEC, yesterday led a team which visited the flood-ravaged communities of Egbema kinhfom. At Opuama communities, it was discovered that more than a third of the residents have been displaced with the flood after their houses including their personal effects have been overtaken by water.
Addressing the team in his house which is a little bit highly elevated, the oldest man in Opuama community, Pa. Eguariare (The Amakuosowei of Opuama) noted that although the residents have been experiencing flooding in the past, the present scenario, which was provoked by a mere 12 hours’ rainfall, was unprecedented. According to him, the residents woke up in the morning to find that the level of water has risen beyond expectation, adding that they are calling the governments, NGOs and good spirited Nigerians to urgently intervene because the flood has affected shelter and their source of livelihood.
“We welcome you for choosing to visit us at this critical time. We appreciate the governor for his concern about our plight. Everywhere is affected by water. Our farm produce have been washed away by water and we are now experiencing food shortage. We have been experiencing flooding before now but it is different this year.
“It has affected our houses, many people have deserted their houses, our schools have been closed because they are flooded. We don’t have food because our farms have been flooded. And that is why we are calling on the government to urgently come to our aid. We thank the government for sending people to assess the situation but we plead urgent steps should be taken. We thank the Council Chairman, Hon. Asekutu and the Commissioner for DESOPADEC representing the Ijaw nation who are part of the government officials. We have been expecting the government and we thank God that the government is here now. We are hopeful that they will do something about our suffering urgently”, Pa Eguariare said.
At Tsekelewu-Polubobo, a Delta State community that shares boundary with Ondo State, it was the same story. More than a third of the population of the oil-producing community have been sent parking with their houses, farmland with crops, fish ponds and fishing settlement including two primary schools and two secondary schools, First Baptist church and a Cherubim and Seraphim church submerged in flood water.
Speaking to the team led by the Local Government chairman, Hon. Smart Asekutu, the Commissioner representing the Ijaw nation in DESOPADEC, Hon. Spencer Okubo Opoye and President-General of Tsekelewu Community, Dr. Abulu Bright, the oldest man in the area, Pa. Idabo Pablogbei, thanked the governor, His Excellency Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for showing serious concern about the displaced people of Egbema kingdom, adding that within three weeks, he has dispatched two teams of government officials to assess the situation of the flood to enable attend to their plight.
In an address presented by the President-General of Tsekelewu Community, Dr. Abulu Bright, he recalled that this year flooding is the worst in the history of the Egbema kingdom, adding that property worth millions of naira and all sources of livelihood have been lost.
He noted that the community’s plight calls for the declaration of a state of emergency, adding that children could no longer go to school as classrooms have been flooded and the schools forced to close down.
“This is the worst in the history of our community! We have lost practically everything to this flood. Unquantifiable properties have been lost and people displaced from their houses and sources of livelihood.
“The entire Community and surrounding villages are submerged. We had severe flooding in 2012 but the experience was not as harrowing as this. The flood has completely taken over and all we can see and feel now is untold hardship and hunger steering us in the face. Everyone is affected by this disaster.
“Government officials from the Delta State Ministry of Environment, Special Duties and the Warri north local government area came last week but the flood had not risen to thisj frightening scale, the present devastation of epic proportions. We are obviously in an emergency situation that the chairman of Warri north LGA-Hon smart Asekutu, the government of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the Federal Government, and their relevant agencies must intervene, to urgently come in to ameliorate the suffering of the people.
Residential buildings floating on flood water in Opuama
Govt Secondary School, Tsekelewu, Warri North LGA
“This community is very strategic to the economic interest of Nigeria and Delta State as it is host to major International Oil Producing Companies (IOCs) and national oil and gas companies including Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria Exploration and Production limited (NEPL), Conoil producing Ltd, and Sahara energy services limited. This is where they do their business. We need the help of the oil and gas companies at this time also. We are urging them to share in our plight and moments of extreme pain, by ensuring that they come together with the government, and act fast in coming to our rescue.
“We are in a very difficult and overwhelming situation as even our children can no longer go to school. The two government secondary Schools and the two primaries have been forced to go on break. The church buildings have been taken over by the flood. People can no longer do their businesses meaningfully as everything is now at standstill. Yes, life in our community is practically at a standstill.
“Our means of livelihood have been halted by this ecological disaster. We now look up to God, the government, oil and gas companies operating in our communities and good spirited individuals to help our people out of this situation”, Dr. Bright said.
Earlier, the leader of the team and chairman of Warri North Local Government Council, Hon. Smart Asekutu, while speaking at the home of the eldest man in Tsekelewu-Polibobo, Pa. Idabo Pablogbei, recalled that the state government constituted committee visited the community about two weeks ago, adding that himself and the representative of the Ijaw nation in DESOPADEC had visited again because of the significance of Egbema kingdom to the Local Government, the State and the country in general.
Asekutu reminded the people that the fact that the state government constituted environmental committee came visiting, indicates that the community was not in any way neglected by the State government, urging the people to be a little bit patient, as the committee is planning on the appropriate action to take to alleviate the plight of those affected. He assured the people that the state government was on top of the issue concerning the community, adding that in no distant time, their plight will be appropriately addressed.
“The State government set up a Committee and that Committee visited this community about two weeks ago. And today, I’m here because this community is one community that is very important to the State and to the nation, considering the number of oil activities that is going on here. One thing I want to assure our people that for the fact that the Committee deemed it necessary to visit this community amongst the flooded communities in Delta State, shows that we are not neglected, we are being carried along. I’m
“I can assure you that the government is planning to get things done and done properly. So, we are here to assure you that the state government is aware of what is happening, and we as people from this area, we will not relent. We will continue to push to ensure what needs to come to this place. So, on behalf of the community, we can only thank the government for the attention we have received from the government so far., thank the governor, thank the committee and thank even our stakeholders, including our President-General, Dr. Bright Abulu who has been up and doing”, the chairman said.
Also speaking, the DESOPADEC Commissioner representing the Ijaw nation, Hon. Spencer Okubo Opoye, reiterated the commitment of the Delta State government towards addressing the plight of the community, adding that the community ought to remain grateful to the governor, His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori for paying special attention to the plight of the community.
“When we were coming we stopped at Opuama and all the schools were under water. We moved here and we are here to confirm to ourselves. We have observed that the First Baptist church is under water. And several houses have been submerged. It is like a marching order for us to see the situation for ourselves so that we can report back for them to do proper planning to address the flood that has been ravaging everywhere. We know that many people have been displaced.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank the Delta State government for its quick response. The flood is happening everywhere. But because of the report they got from here, they asked us to come again and confirm. And that is the reason we are here. So, I thank you for your patience.
“I want to appeal to you very strongly to take things easy with the government. I can assure you that immediately we send our report, we are sure the government will do something about it.”, he said.
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