TheCable

Otuoke-Onuebum road in Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa state, has been taken over by flood, with vehicles now having to redirect their travel through Elebele road, which is a longer distance.

According to Amos Agah, a staff of the Federal University, Otuoke (FUO), passengers are now paying N800 instead of N400 from Otuoke, hometown of Gooodluck Jonathan, former president, to Onuebum.

Agah appealed to the state government to come to the aide of the community for the sake of FUO.

“This was how it happened in October 2012, when flood took over the whole community. But up till now, no proper preventive measure has been put in place,” he told NAN.

“We are expecting the government to come up with necessary measures to guard against future occurrence, but it is a matter of regret that such measures are not in place.

“The students of FUO will resume to school soon after their holidays; they are going to find things difficult if urgent action is not taken to mitigate the effect of the flood.

“I am calling on all relevant authorities to look into the matter because we cannot cope with it again this year.”

Also, Maureen Abute, a passenger, blamed the state government for not properly utilising the Flood Intervention Fund it received in 2012.

She said that the people were suffering and they could not do anything because of government’s failure to live up to its responsibility of preventing flood and rehabilitating the road.

Isaac Chinedum, a taxi driver, plying the road, said the road was already in a bad shape before the flood submerged it.

He implored the federal government to come to the assistance of the people, saying the Bayelsa government had neglected the road over the years.

Chinedum said youths in the community were the ones sand filling the road,with  “the commercial drivers are paying them from the little profit they are making”.