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By Amos Okioma, Yenagoa
The landlords of Azikoro road in Ekeki Community of Bayelsa State say that in order to avert the usual trauma and inconveniences they are subjected anytime there are rains, which usually leads to flooding and subsequent losing of tenants, they have decided to initiate a self-help community approach to ameliorate their sufferings.
In an interview, the leader of Azikoro road landlords’ Association, Chief Sokari Eluku (aka Daddy Socks) said the state needs to look into the drainage problems affecting the area each day rain fails, adding that houses are flooded, properties damaged and tenants are forced to leave the area despite the low rents the landlords charge them (tenants).
“Each time we give our houses to tenants for the first season. The next season they park out due to flood. So we deemed it fit to embark on this project, and we appealed to a friend who gave us excavator free of charge,” he said.
According to him the drainage has been blocked with sand and refuse recklessly dumped by residents right from Azikoro junction, adding that the effort to clear the drains is an initiative of concerned landlords of No 5 Azikoro road to the central mosque.
“We are really suffering, but if the state government sees that we are suffering and come to our aid by deploying the Ministry of Environment and Bayelsa state Environmental Sanitation Authority, we would be appreciative.”
Another respondent, a consultant, Alde Samuel Wilfort said he came to discover the flooding problem of the area and was touched by their plight and when the opportunity presented itself, he joined them to solve the problem. He gave kudos to the landlords and the commissioner of Environment, chairman of Bayelsa state Environmental Sanitation Authority and the contractor handling the environmental sanitation in state for their support and assistance.
He also called on the commissioner of Environment, Hon Ebipatei Apaingolo to use his good offices to address the plight of residents of the area and to extend it beyond NTA and Express road for easy flow of water and drainage
Meanwhile another landlord, Mr Lawrence Yongosi while applauding the state government constructing the Azikoro road as one of the best in the state, decried the untold hardship residents have to grapple with, which has led to flooding each time the rains fall.
“Azikoro road is one of the best in the state, but due to lack of maintenance the drainage is constantly blocked with refuse and prevents water flow and it has become a recurrent decimal, hence we call on state ministry of Environment, but to no avail.”
He said because of this problem tenants vacate their houses not due to high cost, but because of flooding, adding that “this year as the rains are approaching we decided to embark on self-help to attract government attention and corporate bodies to come to our aid.
“So this year we beckoned on a friend who released his excavator after our futile attempts to remove the slabs for three days and we are ready to provide labour to evacuate the refuse into tipper. We still appeal to the state government and corporate bodies operating in the state to emulate Barikiri Company and come to our aid,” he said.
The Seriake Dickson and previous administrations had not been able to fashion out a comprehensive drainage policy, and due to road construction most areas like the Azikoro road have become victims of constant flooding during raining season, analysts say.
