Obaseki Street residents cry for help over gully erosion
Residents of Obaseki street, off Benin Agbor express road, Ikpoba Okha local government, Edo state have cried to the state government to urgently come to their aid over heavy gully they described as death trap in the street.
The gully, which our correspondent observed have sacked numerous residents, has also made the road inaccessible.
According to the secretary of the landlords and landladies asociation, Mr Imasuen Bello, who has been residing in the area since 1985 the situation was caused by the negligence of both the past and present administrations in the state.
“This gully was not here when I came, the street was very motorable. When it started we cried out but government never listened to us. We on our own have been taking palliative measures and that is why people can walk through.
“Look at the gutter we did, we have always done our best but it didn’t work. We cried to the neighboring company, Guinness Nigeria Plc for assistance. We even went as far to the Oba’s palace who gave a directive and three roads were selected but Guinness abandoned our street.
The present government sent officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment and Sustainability they came to see the street but up till now nothing to show.
We are suffering here, you can see some houses are already caving in. We don’t even know how and what we will do when the rainy season starts. A few months ago the body of a little boy was found inside the gully, who was swept in and died.”
Other inhabitants, including Elder Joe Ereoah, criticized the government for saying the file used in evaluating the work to be carried out on the road has gone missing.
“We went to Ministry Environment and Sustainability and they told us the file is missing after the approval by the governor, they told us that, they didn’t see the file.”