RUMUODOGO Community II in Emohua Local Government Area can pass as one of the miserable communities in Rivers State in terms of basic amenities of life, but when some informers revealed that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has never carried out electoral duty in the territory because of inability of its officials to access the community, it sounded too real to be true in the 21st Century.
Curiosity drove Saturday Vanguard to the remote community, just 13 kilometers off the East-West Road where the people live in darkness, no water, school and healthcare facilities for many years running.
“We’ve not partaken in any general poll – Nfata, CDC chair
Community Development Committee, CDC, chairman, Lucky Nfata, who received our team, lamented when questioned:”Because of bad road, we have not participated in any general elections.”
“We have been detached from other communities and rest of the state on account of impassable link road. That is how we have been shut out from participating in past elections because INEC officials do not yield to traveling to the bad the area,” he added.
According to him: “Determined to be counted in election against the odds, in the last local government elections, I had to go to the community where they kept our own material and we took responsibility of materials meant for us to our village.”
No school, hospital, electricity, water
Given the level of neglect and deprivation, the community leader said, “I think we are the community least developed in the local government, if not in in entire Rivers State. We do not have school, no hospital, no electricity and no water.”
“We have made several appeals to the state government to come and invest here. It is only recently we have had renewal of hope since the current government started giving us sense of belonging with concern for our road,” he said.
Wike intervenes
Nfata expressed the community’s commendation on Governor Nyesom Wike, for the ongoing construction of the 13- kilometer Rumuodogo Road.
Govt, oil companies deserted us – Nath-Sukubo
Elsewhere, in Akuku-Toru Local Government area, Belema and Offoin-Ama, key oil host communities paradoxically rank among the poorest in Kula clan.
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Chairman, Offoin-Ama, Council of Chiefs, Chief Ibiosiya Nath-Sukubo, expressed the communities’ pains over the failure of the state government to pay attention to them
Both communities, he noted, lack basic schools, primary and secondary and hospital, just as farming and fishing, the mainstay of residents have been compromised by harsh environmental impact of oil firm operations.
He, however, acknowledged that the distance from the state’s capital to the community was one reason the areas was not easily remembered in the scheme of things. (Vanguard)
