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…Commends Lawmaker Over New Infrastructure
The Opolo community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have alleged that the State’s Ministry of Works and Infrastructure executed the dualization of the popular Opolo Market road in the community without carrying out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
Paramount ruler of the community, HRH Eniya Moneyman Nengibo (Ogborogbo XII) stated this yesterday while speaking with newsmen on a tour of a newly constructed bridge by the Lawmaker representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency of the State, Hon. Oforgi Oboku.
He said though the newly dualized road was a welcome development, the refusal of the construction firm and the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure to carry out an EIA before embarking on the project has turned the joy of residents to a nightmare as floods have taken over their houses.
The Royal father alleged that concerted effort by leadership of the community to call both the attention of the Ministry and firm to contain the situation has proved abortive even as residents ordeal are deteriorating amidst heavy rainfalls this year.
National Wire reports that Hon. Oboku as part of his constituency projects constructed a modern bridge to link the mainland of his home town, Opolo-Epie community to its adjoining lands across the Epie creek.
He said: “Yes, we commend the Bayelsa State Government for the dualization of the Opolo market road. But it’s said that whatever is worth doing is worth doing well. Our only problem with the work done on the road is that it’s led to unabated flooding in all the residences along and around the market area of the community.
“We’ve written series of letters to the State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, we’ve also held several meetings with the firm, Julius Berger which which constructed the road, but non of the parties was ready to remedy the situation.
“Before the dualization of the road there’s a drainage linking residences in the whole of that market area to an old drainage in the now dualized market road, and so before now we’re not experiencing this perennial flooding in that side of the community. As we speak many houses in market area are heavily flooded due to blockade of the old existing drainage that connected houses around that area of the community and adjoining residences to the drainage on the dualized road.
“We want to seize this medium to again to call on the Bayelsa State Ministry of Works to remedy this engineering error to save the people living in that area, many of which are packing out of their personal houses and rented apartments due to the flooding occasioned by the blockade of the old existing drainage linking the one on the newly dualized road”.
The monarch also lauded the lawmaker representing Yenagoa/Kolokuma/Opokuma Federal Constituency of the State for his numerous infrastructure projects and empowerment initiatives, describing him as a grass rooted politician, just as he appealed to the government to construct new roads across the Epie-creek in Opolo to link the newly constructed bridge by the lawmaker.
He added: “Oforgi has done well. He has really touched the lives of his constituents. As a first termer in the House of Representatives, our son and lawmaker has performed above boards. I’m personally glad that he’s from this community, and I therefore pray and wish that he gets a bigger position in his political journey”.
