The Odawu Joinkrama 3 Community in Ahoada West Local Government Area of Rivers State has commended Ford Foundation/Connected Development, CODE, for advocating for the improvement of communities in the state.
Paramount ruler of the community, HRH Eze Izu Benneth Izu made the commendation at the Odawu Community Town Hall, when officials of the non-governmental organization (NGO), led by the community champion, Ewoh Silas visited the area to track abandoned projects on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.
The Odawu Community paramount ruler who recalled the magnanimity of CODE to his community during the period of 2022 flood, noted that among all the NGOs that visited his community during its trying moment, only CODE practically identified with them by giving them some palliative, which according to him, went a long way in cushioning the effect of the situation.
He thanked CODE and prayed that God should continue to sustain the organization.
Earlier Connected Development (CODE), Abuja programme officer, Nkem Ibeh, who represented the chief executive, Hamzat Lawal told the community people that the organization was in their area to track abandoned projects, and to amplify their concerns through their voices in the areas of health, education, water and other basic facilities.
Nkem Ibeh urged them to feel free and air their views so that the organization will know how to channel their problems to the relevant authorities for positive result.
Speaking, the paramount ruler of Odawu Joinkrama 3 Community, HRH Izu Benneth Izu expressed appreciation for the visit of CODE team to his community. He said for some years past, Rivers State Lead CODE, Evelyn Williams through the community champion Ewoh Silas, has made frantic efforts to reach out to his community.
He noted that during CODE’s last visit to his community, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health and the MOG in charge of Ahoada West visited his community to access the level of decay in their primary health centre, adding that since after their visit nothing has been done, and appealed to CODE to keep pursuing their challenges.
The paramount ruler decried the level of decay at the community health centre, saying the government authorities have been promising them action but have failed to fulfill their promises. He said only about eight persons are working in the health centre established 20 years ago.
King Izu Benneth Izu, appealed to the Rivers State Government to come to their aid by rebuilding the health centre and making necessary facilities and drugs available to save expectant mothers the agony of going to Akinima, the Council headquarters to deliver their babies.
“You can see for yourselves that the fridge is not working, the solar has spoilt, there is no water and the building is completely dilapidated. The challenges we are facing are too much and we need urgent state and local government assistance”, the Odawu Community King stated.
On his part, the Odawu Joinkrama 3 Community Community Development Committee, CDC, chairman, Mr. Oba Avivie said the health centre is nothing to write home about, saying the dilapidated health facility serves the four communities in Joinkrama, Ahoada West.
“Just one apartment, there are no space accommodation”, he said, adding that ordinarily, in a modern health facility, all the departments would have been functional with personnel to carry out their services. He described the situation as very unfortunate.
According to Avivie, all the departments in the health centre cluster around one table thereby rendering the entire system ineffective.
“The community needed a well-constructed new model health facility that can serve these four communities effectively”, the CDC chairman said. He said the community has enough land and has even provided a plot of land should the government declare its willingness to construct a modern health centre for them.
Speaking on the access road to the community, the CDC chairman said: “The Mbiama-Joinkrama access road is the only road we, the Joinkramas, use to access the rest of the world. After you pass Akinima and you are coming to JK (Joinkrama), the condition of the road has been cut-off by erosion, it’s been a serious challenge to us”, he lamented.
He stressed that flooding caused the erosion and that it has been there for over three decades.
“We have made our complaints to the relevant authorities concerning the road. The local government, state government, Shell and others are aware of the condition of the road,” the CDC ctated as he appealed to the government and the oil companies operating within the Joinkrama axis to come to the aid of Odawu and Joinkrama as that is the only road that they use in accessing the rest of the world.
One of the community women, Mrs. Imube Frank recalled that since the first visit of CODE to the community, which attracted the visit of the permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Health, nothing has been done. She noted that her brother fell-ill and was rushed to another health facility outside the community where he died, regretting that if their health centre was functional, he would have received medical attention instantly, and urged the Government to see the need to come to their aid.
Chief Otnel Dokubo recalled that during the flood the community lost a lot of persons as the health centre was also flooded.
“No First Aid. The situation is even worse now because there is no space in the health centre. Even if government wants to bring some facilities like beds, etc., to the health centre, there is no space to accommodate them”, he said, and called on government to act fast and safe the people.
Mrs. Beauty Daniel complained that their little children are not taking their regular immunizations because the deep freezer and the solar that supplies power there have spoilt since without being repaired.
The Odawu Community woman leader, Mrs. Atoye Easy expressed concern over education in the area. She lamented that the only primary school in the area has only four teachers without facitities as their children sit and write on the floor. According to her, the school has grown into a bush.
“The situation is so pathetic that we the women have to assist by cutting the bushes, providing chairs and desks for our pupils to sit and write.
“The health centre is in a complete, mess, no facility, the fridge, the solar have gone bad, and no water”, she noted, adding that pregnant women and children have died on the road while being rushed to Akinima, the local government headquarters for treatment.
Mrs. Atoye Easy further stated that the recent flood that occurred brought a lot of hardship and death to the community because of sicknesses, mosquitoes and snake bites without medical attention.
“Really, we have no health centre; we are just bearing the name that we have a health centre”, she stated and pleaded with the government to give them a good health centre and road, as erosion has eaten up the only road they have.
Rivers CODE Lead, Evelyn Williams who marveled at the condition of the Odawu Community Health Centre said: “We don’t want to see this mushroom health centre, it is a mere cubicle”.
One of the community speakers who identified himself as Ifeanyi, said the 2023 general election would be the worst in the history of Nigerian democracy as room has not been provided for interaction with community members. He lamented, “Politicians would come to us asking us to go and obtain our PVCs, and would not give anybody room to talk, because they know we will itemize all our needs to them.”
The state CODE Lead, Evelyn Williams advised them to draft what she described as their “Community Charter of Demands” for political contestants and hold them accountable should they fail to fulfill their promises.
The team carried out visits to many communities across local governments to track responses to identified problems as well as new challenges. Some of the local governments visited include Emohua, Gokana, Oyigbo, among others.
