Village Head of Ikot Obio Atai, Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Mkpong Okon Mkpong and no fewer than 500 other members of the community have been sent on exile by floods.
For over 15 years floods which have taken over more than three-kilometre radius of the village, has swept off no fewer than 120 buildings.
At the centre of the flooded area is Number 85 Urua Ekpa Road, a 24-room Palace of Chief Mkpong, which has been abandoned for over 10 years now.
The chief who now takes refuge in Udo Usanga Street, regretted that his certificate of recognition as Village Head and other valid documents were wiped out by the flood.
He reported that the flood has affected many adjoining streets in the area, including Afaha Oku, Imo and Udo Usanga.
“So many houses have been taken over by the floods while more than 500 residents, both indigenes and non-indigenes, have been sacked from their houses, turning some locals into refugees in their community,” he said.
Obong Mkpong who further reported that the community has written several letters to the state government as well as received many inspection teams to the affected areas said none of such efforts has yielded result.
‘’The community has written to the government till date, nothing has happened. Since 1999, nothing has happened. If it were 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,’’ he added.
A garri seller who simply identified herself as Mercy lamented that floods have sacked many residents of the area and crippled their businesses as students of UNIUYO, who were the bulk of tenants in the area, have left the environment.
She stated that there was no natural stream or body of water, rather the new roads like Udoette, UNIUYO, Itam Market, areas among others contributed to the flooding of the area, which is the lowest point around.
Another resident and a Keke rider in the area, Titus Ekpe Sunday, told correspondents, “My room gets flooded anytime it rains. When it rains like two or three hours, we relocated from our rooms. If you were here yesterday when it rained you would not come up to this point.”
When contacted, Member representing Itu State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Mr. Kufre Edidem, who is also an indigene of Ikot Obio Atai, said he was the chairman of Itu Local Government Council during the administration of Godswill Akpabio when the flood menance started.
He recalled that all the state government did was to refer him to the then deputy governor, who facilitated official of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to visit the village to share relief materials to the victims.
Edidem claimed that as a member of the House of Assembly, he has brought the state Commissioner for Environment and Works to inspect the flooded areas.
He said he has forwarded the complaint to the state government, expressing the hope that work on the flood site would be included in the 2022 Akwa Ibom State budget.
(Adopted from Daily Independent)
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