OBOGORO: For almost a decade, residents of Obogoro Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have watched helplessly as the Ekoli River steadily eats into their homes, farmlands and public facilities. The community, located along the Ekoli River, is among several communities in Bayelsa State badly hit by the menace of coastal and gully erosion.
Within this period, over 200 homes have reportedly been swallowed by the river, while several others now stand waiting for their doomsday. In its wake, a community primary school, football field, NYSC lodge and ancestral burial grounds are among facilities residents highlight have been lost to the rampaging river erosion.
Meanwhile, the latest heavy rainfall has worsened the situation, with sections of the riverbank collapsing into the swollen Ekoli River and forcing more families to flee their homes.
Cries for help
A tenant in the community, Janet Eseoghene, said several families who previously lived in her compound had relocated after the river advanced dangerously close to the building.
“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.
Another resident, Joel Itortaziba, who hails from Ogbia Local Government Area, said residents had become accustomed to the sound of collapsing earth, particularly at night.
“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.
