Heavy flood has displaced more than 500 residents and destroyed more than 120 houses following increased that has taken over more than 3km radius of Ikot Obio Atai village in Itu Local Council of Akwa Ibom
This is even as the Village Head Obong Okon Mkpong has fled from his palace at Number 85 Urua Ekpa Road more than a decade ago and relocated to Udo Usanga Street due to heavy flood.
Indigenes and non indigenes who reside in the area have been sacked from their houses turning some locals into refugees in their community.
The flood also lead to a gully erosion along Akpan Etong Street where some houses have been swallowed by the gully while a man was reported to have died recently in the gully.
Though Ikot Obio Atai, or Urua Ekpa Road, is in Itu local government area, the flooded area is less than two kilometres from the main gate of the Town Campus of the University of Uyo, UNIUYO while the community is within Uyo Capital City Development Authority, UCCDA.
Lawmaker representing Itu State Constituency in the State Assembly, Mr Kufre Edidem, who is also an indigene of Ikot Obio Atai, recalled that the state government during former Governors Godswill Akpabio’s tenure reffered the matter to the then deputy governor, who facilitated official of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to visit the village and shared relief materials among the victims.
Edidem said he has brough the state Commissioner for Works to inspect the flood site and has forwared the complain to the state government, expressing the hope that work on the flood site would be included in the 2022 Akwa Ibom State budget.
On why he has not brought the issue before the assembly under Matter of Urgent Public Importance, Edidem retorted, “do you want the thing on the floor or you want the problem solve? So if you want the problem solved, it is when you are a legislator and you dont have good relationship with the executive and the executive does not listin to you that is when you bring matter to the floor of the house is to catch the attention of the executive.
“But if the executive is already listening to you: the commissioner for finance, commissioner for environment followed me, they made the engineering drawings and they are working on next year budget, and it has been put in the budget, so what do you want the matter on the floor? It is for sensationalism or what?”
The Village Head whom the flood sacked from his palace said the flood problem was beyond the village capacity to handle, noting that the community has written several letters to successive state governments but to no avail.
”The community has written to the government till date, nothing has happened, Since 1999, nothing has happened . If it was possible the community would have addressed the problem.
“It is difficult for us. Governor Udom Emmanuel should come and help us. we are all members of PDP. It is sad that even the village head ‘s house is under water and yet they say that Akwa Ibom is beautiful.’
