October 20, (THEWILL) – The palace of the Village Head of Ikot Obio Atai, in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state Ete Idung Mkpong Okon Mkpong has been ravaged and the monarch sacked by flood that has taken over more than three kilometre radius of the community.
The village head fled from his palace at Number 85 Urua Ekpa Road more than a decade ago and has relocated to Udo Usanga Street, where he has built a new house where he now holds court sessions.
The flood has affected many adjoining streets in the area, including Afaha Oku, Imo, Udo Usanga , among residential areas.
A visit by THEWILL reporter in Uyo reveals that no fewer than 200 houses have been taken over by the flood while more than 1000 residents, both indigenes and non indigenes have been sacked from their houses in the community which is predominantly occupied by students of the university of Uyo, even as some locals have been turned into refugees in their own community.
The flood also led to a gully erosion along Akpan Etong Street where some houses have been swallowed by the gully even as a man who was threatened by a wild dog reportedly died recently in the gully.
The street lies between CCC Junction along Ikpa Road, near Uyo and Udo Usanga Street, off Urua Ekpa Itu.
Though Ikot Obio Atai, or Urua Ekpa Road, is in Itu local government area, the flooded area is less than two kilometres from the main gate of the Town Campus of the University of Uyo, UNIUYO. The community is within the Uyo Capital City Development Authority, UCCDA.
The community lies between Calabar Itu Road in Itu and Ikpa Road in Uyo local government area.
Member representing Itu State Constituency in Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Honourable 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 menace started.
He recalled that all the state government did was to refer him to the then deputy governor, who facilitated officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to visit the village and share relief materials among the victims.
Edidem claimed that as a member of the house of assembly he had brought the state Commissioner for Environment and Works to inspect the flood site.
He said he has forwarded the complaint to the state government, expressing the hope that work on the flood site will be included in the 2022 Akwa Ibom State budget. “By God’s special grace, I am sure it will be in the budget by next year.”
On why he had not brought the issue before the assembly under the Matter of Urgent Public Importance, Edidem retorted, ” Do you want the thing on the floor or you want the problem solved? So if you want the problem solved, it is when you are a legislator and you don’t have a good relationship with the executive and the executive does not listen to you, that is when you bring matters to the floor of the house to catch the attention of the executive.
“But if the executive is already listening to you: the commissioner for finance, commissioner for environment followed me, they made the engineering drawings and they are working on next year budget, and it has been put in the budget, so what do you want the matter on the floor? It is for sensationalism or what?” Edidion explained.
A Garri seller, who simply identified herself as Mercy, lamented that the flood has sacked many residents of the area and crippled their businesses as students of UNIUYO, who were the bulk of tenants in the area as well as patrons of businesses, 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 that were constructed without proper drainage system, contribute to the flooding of the area which is the lowest point around.
A resident and a Keke rider in the area, Titus Ekpe Sunday, told THEWILL: “my room is flooded anytime it rains. When it rains for like two or three hours, we relocate from our rooms. If you were here yesterday when it rained you would not have come up to this point.”
Sunday explained that they have no other options than to live there because they don’t have money to rent new accommodation or build new houses, adding ‘therefore after rain we scooped water and go back to our wet rooms.”
Also speaking, Mr. Ekpe Asukwo, landlord of 41 Urua Ekpa Road bemoaned that residents cannot quantify their losses over the years because of the menace, appealing to the state government to come to their rescue.
The Village head of Ikot Obio Atai, Chief Mkpong Okon Mkpong, whom the flood sacked from his palace at 85 Urua Ekpa said the flood problem was beyond the village capacity to handle, noting that the community has written several letters to successive state governments but to no avail.
”The community has written to the government till date, nothing has happened, Since 1999, nothing has happened . If it was 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 underwater and yet they say that Akwa Ibom is beautiful.” Chief Mkpong lamented.
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