•Alleges insensitivity of govt, lack of infrastructure
By Felix Igbekoyi / Correspondent, Asaba
The people of Igbodo Kingdom, Ika North East Local Government Area of Delta State, have protested government absence and its insensitivity to the residents of the area.
They said it is an affront on the psyche of the average mind and a slap on the faces of thousands of hardworking and long suffering residents of the community who have no tarred roads, their hospital not commissioned, abandoned boreholes and collapsed town hall.
The protesters who moved round the market with inscription on the placard such as, ‘‘Build a market for Igbodo kingdom,” “Commission Igbodo hospital as it has been completed,” “Governor Uduaghan deliver on your promises as 2015 beckons,” “Igbodo, Delta food basket has no market, we have no government presence in Igbodo,” “Save Igbodo from erosion menace’’ among others promised to repeat the agitation until their demands are met. Obi (King) Ikechukwu Osedume of the Kingdom, lamented that “there is no single government presence at all based on the numerous abandoned projects that litter the agrarian community.”
He claimed the residents are getting fed up with government insensitivity to the area despite its determination on the Delta Beyonf Oil claim. Represented by Chief Gilbert Nwajei, Oza/Ojifulueze of Igbodo Kingdom, said the market is in a deplete condition despite the cry to the three tiers of government without response, saying the most annoying aspect is the big pit near the market which was dug during the tarring of the road, causing great havoc to the traders. According to him, the governments do not care for the market in such a situation but they come every market day to exploit the traders who come from all over the country to collect revenue, not even bothering to cover the pit which now looks like a trap to the residents.
The Obi maintained that their situation looks like political persecution as there are many places where market is built but people do not occupy them while politicians always come to the community to seek for votes based on their population but abandon them once they get to power.