_Residents appeal to Oborevwori for emergency intervention as deplorable roads mar annual ECHI_ EKPANA Festival
By :Bold Lite
The people of Ebu community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State have renewed their passionate appeal to the state government for urgent intervention in their deplorable road infrastructure, lamenting decades of neglect that have continued to undermine the development and livelihood of the people.
The community’s frustration came to the fore during the celebration of its annual ECHIEKPANA Festival last week, an important cultural event that traditionally brings together sons and daughters of Ebu from different parts of the country and beyond to reconnect with their roots, celebrate their heritage and strengthen communal bonds.
However, this year’s celebration was overshadowed by the terrible condition of the roads leading to the community, leaving residents and visitors struggling to access the town.
Some members of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), who visited Ebu for media coverage of the festival, experienced firsthand the hardship confronting the community.
The Publishers could not drive their vehicle to the festival venue because the road had been cut off at a certain point, making further movement impossible for both cars and heavy-duty vehicles.
Several trailers and other vehicles were reportedly trapped along the affected stretch of road, with some drivers said to have been stranded for two to three weeks, waiting for a possible breakthrough as they could neither move forward nor turn back.
Faced with the impassable road, the visiting journalists had no choice but to park their vehicle at a point and trek approximately one kilometre to the palace of the Onu Ebu, where the festival was taking place.
The experience further exposed the agonising reality of a community whose residents continue to endure severe transportation challenges despite being part of Delta State.
Speaking on the condition of the roads and what they described as decades of government neglect, some indigenes expressed deep disappointment over the apparent absence of meaningful infrastructural development in their community.
One of the residents, Okai James lamented that Ebu had been neglected for about three decades, questioning whether the community was still considered part of Delta State.
According to the indigene, successive administrations, including those of former governors Emmanuel Uduaghan and Ifeanyi Okowa, failed to give Ebu the attention it deserved, leaving the community without adequate roads and other essential infrastructure.
The resident, however, acknowledged the contributions of former Governor James Ibori, who was credited with constructing the gateway road linking Ebu with Ukala-Ezi and neighbouring communities.
The community also acknowledged the efforts of the current Chairman of Oshimili North Local Government Area, Olorogun Innocent Ifeanyi Esewezie, particularly in the provision of market stores, describing such interventions as important but insufficient to address the larger infrastructural challenges confronting Ebu.
A community in desperate need of government attention
Beyond the road crisis, residents lamented the absence of basic amenities, including reliable electricity and potable water, describing their living conditions as increasingly unbearable.
They wondered how a community in a state with enormous economic resources could continue to struggle with such fundamental infrastructure in the 21st century.
The people of Ebu are now looking towards the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, expressing hope that the governor will extend the development initiatives of his MORE Agenda to their neglected community.
They appealed to the governor to remember Ebu and demonstrate his commitment to inclusive development by urgently addressing the community’s infrastructural challenges.
The community recalled that Governor Oborevwori had previously sent a delegation led by Hon. Patrick Ukah to Ebu.
According to residents, the delegation witnessed the difficult conditions confronting the people and the urgent need for government intervention.
They expressed hope that the visit would translate into concrete action and not remain another government engagement without visible results.
Call for declaration of state of emergency
The ACNPN members who witnessed the situation during the festival also joined the community in appealing to Governor Oborevwori to declare a state of emergency on the Ebu road and mobilise the relevant agencies to undertake immediate rehabilitation.
They argued that the situation had gone beyond ordinary road maintenance, considering the extent of the damage and the difficulty motorists face in accessing the community.
The Publishers and journalists noted that the plight of Ebu deserves urgent attention, stressing that no community should be left isolated because of the failure of its access roads.
They called on the state government to prioritise the rehabilitation of the affected road, while also providing lasting solutions to the community’s water and electricity challenges.
The people of Ebu further appealed to Governor Oborevwori to personally visit the community and witness the hardship confronting residents.
They maintained that a firsthand assessment of the situation would provide the governor with a clearer understanding of the urgency of their demands.
For the people of Ebu, the ECHIEKPANA Festival should ordinarily be a period of joy, reunion and cultural celebration. Instead, the deplorable road network turned the occasion into another painful reminder of years of infrastructural neglect.
As the community continues to wait for government intervention, its residents are asking a fundamental question: How long must Ebu remain disconnected from the development enjoyed by other communities in Delta State?
Their appeal is simple but urgent: Ebu deserves accessible roads, basic amenities and a place in the development agenda of Delta State.
The people are hopeful that Governor Oborevwori will heed their cries and take decisive action to end their years of suffering.
For Ebu, the time for promises is over. The time for practical action is now.