Newsfront Online …Telling the Public as it is
… we are trapped and rendered homeless, we are dying in silent
… call on AKSG, NDDC etc for urgent help
… These were not brought to our notice – MD, ASL
By Joseph Umoh
In line with the Nigeria Meteorological Department early this year, which predicted that there will be heavy flooding across Nigeria this year, Uyo the Akwa Ibom State capital has had a fair share of it.
Our Correspondent reports that Ntiedo Crescent, an out shot of Ntiedo Street that is en route through Udo Umana off Obio Imo Street by the popular Akpan Andem Market. The correspondent observed that given the magnanimous disposition of the state government that constructed the Ntiedo Street and its surrounding, all the floods around the environments are emptied into Ntiedo Crescent thus, leaving the helpless inhabitants in a state of perpetual wailing and lamentation especially when it rains.
Speaking to our Correspondent, a couple resident at Ntiedo Crescent, Pastor/Mrs. Ime Etim disclosed that the genesis of the calamity befalling them started when the Akwa Savings and Loans Limited (mortgage Bankers) constructed their fence on the water ways with a promise to construct gutter for easy running, channeling and diversion of flood water but failed in their earlier promise, “we the residents of this street are really in pains. What we are passing through as you can see is horrible, whenever there is a downpour, if we were inside the house, going out will pose a great challenge and if we were outside our house or the environment, we will find it very difficult to have access to our houses is also a major challenge for us here”.
The couple who appreciated the various interventions of the present government and various infrastructural activities carried out by Udom-led government, called on the state government to come to their aid by constructing the road that is less than half a kilometer as they voted Udom into power so as to have a feel of the dividends of democracy also called on the Akwa Savings and Loans Limited to urgently channel the flood water to the gutter at Ntiedo Street.
In their separate responses, Aniekan Edet, Patrick Etim, Ifreke Akpan who spoke to our Correspondent further explained that flood water submerged houses, destroyed property, including cars and other valuables worth millions of naira, “we are dying here. This is a street within the heart of Uyo but we are living like in a rural environment. It is late now for us to desert our houses and hard earned property because of rain. If we spent our hard earned resources to build roofs over our head, I think we should live to in there. As we speak, there is a big compound that has been deserted completely, because of continuous flood incidence leaving the building inhabited till now. We are calling on the Akwa Ibom state government; the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), multi-national companies to come to our aid, we are dying in silent here. We need urgent intervention”, they cried aloud.
When contacted in his office in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer of Akwa Savings and Loans Limited (mortgage Bankers), Mr. Ebong Bassey regretted that the residents of the area have a good claim but noted that it was not brought to his notice, “I am happy that you have brought this to our knowledge, since we took over the management of the institution, no one brought to our notice such arrangement. We will definitely look into it. It is part of our corporate responsibility to handle some issues arising within our corporate purview, but when it is outside our responsibility and critical, we may call the attention of the government. We have handled some community-related issues that are within our operational boundary. So we will visit the place”, he promised.
Mr. Ebong Bassey who has been variously described as a man of conscience, character and truthfulness has sent a team of inspectors led by Mrs Helen Ekwere, Head of Mortgage Unit of the Bank who were conducted round the scene of the incidence and promised to make a report to the management who will also communicate with the state government for appropriate action.
