For almost ten years, residents of Obogoro Community in Yenagoa LGA, Bayelsa State, have watched the Ekoli River wash away homes, farmlands and public facilities.
Over 200 houses have reportedly been swallowed, while several others are at the edge of collapse. Among facilities lost are a community primary school, football field, NYSC lodge and ancestral burial grounds.
The recent heavy rainfall made it worse, with parts of the riverbank caving into the swollen river and forcing more families to flee.
A tenant, Janet Eseoghene, said her compound is now deserted.
“I am a tenant living in this compound. There were other families living here, but they have all left due to fear. Last year, the river was still a few metres away, but now it is at my doorstep.
“Please, we need help. I have no other place to go. It is risky living here, and I fear for my children too. We are appealing to the relevant authorities to come and help us,” she said.
Joel Itortaziba, a resident who has lived there for two years, said the sound of collapsing earth at night has become common.
“I have been living in Obogoro for two years now. It is not somewhere anyone should live, but because of life and its challenges, we came here.
“It is terrifying living in this community. Sometimes at night, you hear a hit, which indicates that some land has caved into the river. We really need the help of the government.
“Children are dying. Just some months back, a child lost his life in the erosion. Government should please help this community,” he said.
The President of Epie-Atissa Peoples Congress, Obesi Otasume Benjamin, said the community has shrunk drastically.
“The entire river you are seeing here was actually a community. If you were here a few years ago, you would have seen that the community was where this river is right now.
“Today, the community is no more. What we are seeing is just one quarter of the community that is left. People are dying. How can a full family, mother and children, be eroded away?
“People who have homes are now homeless. Some houses are at the edge of the river, knowing that they will slide into the river any moment. Over 200 houses have been submerged into the river.
“The state government, Federal Government and the NDDC need to visit Obogoro community. This place needs urgent attention,” he said.
Convener of #Save Obogoro Community Now#, Ada Gwegwe, said efforts to get help have failed to bring a lasting solution.
“We have been on this issue for years now, and we were able to draw the attention of the state and Federal Government. The state government awarded a contract to a firm. They started work and later abandoned the project.
“Behind me is a building, well fenced, that is on the line to slide into the river. This is what this community has been passing through for the past 10 years.
“Millions of naira worth of property have been submerged into the river. I am using this opportunity to call on the Federal Government, the state government and the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, to come to the aid of Obogoro community,” he said.
Residents are now seeking a full shoreline protection and reclamation project, noting that no permanent shelter or IDP camp has been provided for displaced families.
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