How PDP, Okowa Govt, Underdeveloped Aliboba Community, Agbor Since 1999

It is trite to say that government ought to exhibit the ethos of continuity, but when a single party, Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) exist in Delta state since 1999 and cannot fix small road networks in Aliboba Community in Ika South, Agbor of Delta State, then the area has been undeveloped, Roland Ehioma, writes.

By Roland Ehioma

The resident of Aliboba Community, Ika South Local Government Area, Agbor will not forget the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) and the current Senator Arthur Okowa administration in a hurry as his tenure comes to an end in about a year from now as the community never got any dividend of democracy from the successive PDP government since 1999.

Aliboba Community is located at Uromi junction area by the ExpressWay in Agbor. The Community also is where the Delta line office and the Agbor Technical College are domiciled. The Uromi junction, Agbor has stores and parks on both sides of the road, where both the State and local government generate internal revenue.

Investigation conducted in this community has revealed that the community only has footpath ways that residents use to move to their abode because no motor-able road network has ever been constructed there.

Those who have cars have to park them in town and trek home daily and make do with motorcycles.

The community leaders have had several chats with the both print and electronic media on this development and inundated the state government with the publication on both the state government official website, Instagram and Twitter handles to draw the attention of this current government to the plight of this community.

Up until now the Commissioner of Information, Mr Charles Ehiedu, an Ika indigene and his Works Urban Roads counterpart, Mr Noel Omodon who are privy to the several reportage on this Aliboba community, Agbor have kept mute, while the state governor continue to be hailed as the appellation of ‘Road Master’.

It is a day’s shame that such a community in this digital era is surrounded by bush parts as opposed to road networks in Ika South LGA, Agbor in Delta State.

Now that the election is fast approaching, politicians will come to the area to campaign with promises to link the community with motorable roads, which must be resisted this time around because they now know better.

There is no gainsaying the fact that Ika South has been marginalized, underdeveloped in terms of provision of infrastructure when compared to Ika North East.

Notable roads in Ika South such as Mariere, Umudein, Okoh, Osuhor, Queen, Upper Queen Street, Balake, Odozi, Iregwa, Okumbor, Upper Odozi, Imudia, Dr Whyte, Odeh, Oruba, Chris Ogala, Azehan streets that are in the heart of the town have not had any facelift since those street/ roads were constructed in the 70’s.

What has the Aliboba Community, Ika South, Agbor in Delta State done to have been abandoned without a single dividend of democracy like road network since 1999?

It was a tall dream with the emergence of the Delta State Governor, Senator Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, who is from Ika North East that Ika South will be transformed in the eight years of his administration, but the PDP administration as well as the current one have failed in Delta State because since 1999 a community like Aliboba in Ika South LGA, Agbor in Delta State don’t have  constructed road networks, while the streets in town still host the 1970’s asphalt.

The Aliboba Community areas have been ravaged by erosion. About a year ago two siblings were swept away by flood in a mighty gully that is close to the Technical College fence. Some of the houses around the school are caving into the gully. The owners have parked away from their homes to save their lives.

With less than a year to go in the life of this administration, it will be comic relief if this wrong done to this Aliboba community is corrected and fixed because this community has been wearing the toga of a neglected and abandoned community since 1999.

The current administration of Delta State Governor, Senator Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa should remember the quote of Stephen Grellet: “I shall pass through this world but once. Any good therefore that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

•    · Roland Ehioma is Public Commentator based in Delta State.