… Calls for sack of Environment Commissioner
The residents of Obogoro Community in Yenagoa Local government area of BAYELSA state, has given a seven days (7) ultimatum to the state government to urgently address the issue of the coastal erosion that have claimed several lives and properties in the last ten years.
The people said they cannot fight the government but that they will go on the street for peaceful protest and they will carry their canopies, cooking pots, sleeping mattresses and continue to sleep in front of government house Gate until the contractor is mobilize to site.
Addressing a press conference on behalf of Obogoro Community, the convener of Save Obogoro Community from Erosion, comrade Ada Gwegwe, said they are tired of everyday super story from both federal and state government.
According to him,the project should be more important to government because several lives have been lost and hundreds of building has collapsed into the river. ” How do the governor and political appointee sleep comfortably in there houses when lives are been lost everyday due to the coastal erosion”.
“How do they feel when a civil servants laboured for thirty to thirty five years and saved money to build and within a twinkling of an eye the building just enter into the river or what do you say of a farmer who build their houses through farming and all disappear just like that. Yet the government play deaf ear, it’s quite unfortunate”.
“We have lost close to two hundred houses in the last ten years and government has not deem it fit to organize something for the people that lost their houses to start life afresh somehow. Is like they are deceiving us everyday. I don’t know whether somebody somewhere is collecting the money or what? We are tied of fail promises”.
Speaking further said, the contractor stopped working since last year November and the government cannot give them any reasonable explanation as to why the project is still lingering. “They have promise, promise, promise and promised. The project in Obogoro Community has become like an Indian film and we are fed up”.
“The people of Obogoro Community has gone to the the National Assembly about three times where federal government made several promises that have not seen the light of the day. We have written several letters to NDDC, Federal government agencies, BAYELSA state government, the people in charge of coastal erosion.
“There is no office we have not written to, we have gone on courtesy visit to the governor Douye Diri, the deputy governor, speaker of the state Assembly and members representing Yenagoa Constituency 1 in the state Assembly. We have visited who is who in this matter all to no avail”.
“Obogoro Community has been passing through coastal erosion for over a decade. It’s unfortunate that we find our system where government don’t have value for human life. Year in year out the politicians come for campaign and made promises and they go back, at end of the day the promises are not fulfilled. It’s quite unfortunate that Obogoro that is in the heart of Yenagoa the state capital has been battling this coastal erosion for this number of years”
He berated governor Douye Diri for his failed promises to the people of Obogoro Community.
In his contribution, a member of Civil Liberty Organization in the state, David West said, governor Douye Diri promises is a fake and November 11 governorship election should be a determinant.
He said people should vote against the system with anger as the system did not value life. “Former governor Dickson promised and failed, now governor Douye is doing the same thing with fake promises”.
“The commissioner for Environment should be sacked because he lack the capability and capacity to handle that Ministry because it’s too sensitive for him. If the governor believes that his promises are not fake should swing into action and save the people of Obogoro Community”.
