Residents of Iguo-Osaigie, Utteh, Iguo-Hana, Iguo-Efosa, Oke-Okehn, Okun Magiajemen communities, all in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo State and some staff and students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), on Wednesday cried out for help over the gully created in the localities, saying that they might be cut off any moment if nothing was done.
Expressing their plight, the residents said that the gully had already cut them off from accessing each other and other parts of Benin City.
A visit to the area by journalists on Wednesday showed that the gully has already cut off the alternative route and cross border bridge linking Ugbowo to Ikpoba River.
Besides, ther areas affected by the gully included the area housing the Senior Staff Club and Senior Staff Quarters of the university, just as the gully has also halted the ongoing construction of the Ekosodin road that links the area to the New Lagos-Benin expressway.
A signpost in the area indicated the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) had previously awarded the contract in the past.
The Secretary-General of Efosa Community, Comrade Aghahowa Obayinwana, who spoke on behalf of the communities, pleaded that necessary authorities should come to put an end to the innumerable damages the gullies had done to them.
“Delay is dangerous and a situation like this where over five communities have been crippled and means livelihood taken, crime becomes inevitable,” Efosa pleaded.
Also speaking, a member of the university community and lecturer in the Faculty of Management Science, Dr. Uwagbor Eboigbe, warned that the situation could aggravate if not checked.
“As we speak, this gully ravaged road has, among other damage, rendered many staff homeless and the Staff Club, where we ease off after a tensed working day and I am very sure as you can see from the sign post that this project has been awarded at different intervals. Sometimes on our own we have made informal appeals to relevant authorities at Abuja and Benin, yet not working.
“I am now appealing on this ground for aggressive positive measures to be taken because it will be one fall too many should UNIBEN go down.
“If the fund needed is too much for one agency to foot, they should employ a syndicated approach and collectively get it done because if the situation is not given an aggressive response, UNIBEN may go down within the next six month and the consequences would be too enormous”, he further warned.
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