At this auspicious moment of our nation’s history, one clear fact is that, like all people of the world, the basic necessities you cannot gloss over for man’s survival are access to health, care, portable water and basic education in addition to shelter, among others.
These were glaringly non existent as our community Development Advocacy Team visited this community in oil rich Ndokwa East Local Government of Delta State, a core part of the Niger Delta Region which literally sustains the Federation called Nigeria economically.
Obikwele Community to our outmost consternation and bewilderment, has no visible evidence of the most basics of any known health faculty such as Primary Health Centre (PHC), cottage hospital or even maternity home! With a bustling population in this mostly agrarian community, the absence of a Primary Health Faculty is at once worrisome and shocking, considering the importance of health to the overall well being of a people.
So how do the cope? Finding revealed, sadly, that the indisposed indigenes of the area have no choice but to seek medical attention in faraway Kwale, headquarters of Ndokwa West, or Ashaka, a town in Ndokwa east, whose distances are about ten kilometres away from them.
So how do the cope? Finding revealed, sadly, that the indisposed indigenes of the area have no choice but to seek medical attention in faraway Kwale, headquarters of Ndokwa West, or Ashaka, a town in Ndokwa east, whose distances are about ten kilometres away from them.
A member of the community lamented that it was tortuous experience taking their pregnant women, the elderly and sick children to seek medical attention, wondering why Obikwele Community deserved to be left out in the scheme of things in a matter so sensitive as their health.
NO SECONDARY SCHOOL
Education has been variously described and known to be the very foundation upon which any society’s development is anchored. Obikwele community, by virtue of this time tested truth, cannot be an exception in this 21st century “global village “world.
But sadly enough, the community is an exception! Apart from the community’s primary school whose classrooms are all dilapidating state, Obikwele has no secondary school to its credit. In this present day and age where even the United Nations Charter, of which Nigeria is a signatory, states that all children whether in the rural or urban areas, must have access to basic necessities of life, education inclusive, it was a rude shock to discover this glaring inadequacy.
As usual, a community leader, lamented that the children of the community of Secondary school age had no choice but to trek to over 10 kilometres distance to either Ashaka or Kwale in order to seek the golden fleece, with the attendant physical strain which in turn reduces the children’s mental alertness during studoes.
Education has been variously described and known to be the very foundation upon which any society’s development is anchored. Obikwele community, by virtue of this time tested truth, cannot be an exception in this 21st century “global village “world.
But sadly enough, the community is an exception! Apart from the community’s primary school whose classrooms are all dilapidating state, Obikwele has no secondary school to its credit. In this present day and age where even the United Nations Charter, of which Nigeria is a signatory, states that all children whether in the rural or urban areas, must have access to basic necessities of life, education inclusive, it was a rude shock to discover this glaring inadequacy.
As usual, a community leader, lamented that the children of the community of Secondary school age had no choice but to trek to over 10 kilometres distance to either Ashaka or Kwale in order to seek the golden fleece, with the attendant physical strain which in turn reduces the children’s mental alertness during studoes.
GOVERNOR OKOWA AND DELTA STATE GOVERNMENT TO THE RESCUE
It is on record that since assumption of office, May 29 2015 as Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has through his five point SMART agenda initiated policies and programmes which are bearing fruits in various sectors such as health and education as well as Job Creation among others.
For example, the Governor has approved of over 107 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the State and has also made a policy to spread Primary and Secondary education to rural communities as much as possible through the “Relevant Educational Policies” leg to the SMART agenda.
The Community leader who said that Obikwele Community in Ndokwa East seems to have been neglected by successive governments in the distribution of basic amenities appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa whose good works are all over the State to urgently look into the pitiable situation of the Obikwele people by providing them with a functional Primary Health Centre and Secondary School so ad to cushion the effect of the pains and strains experienced by the people in seeking these fundamental services elsewhere.
The community leader also made a passionate appeal to the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Friday Osanebi who represents Ndokwa East Constituency, the Chairman of the Local Government Council, Hon. Joan Governor and the commissioner representing Ndokwa Nation on the Board of the Delta Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) to collectively pay a fact funding visit to Obikwele Community and set machinery in motion to address the very pitiable and deplorable State of Infrastructural deficit as the Primary aim of governance is to make life better and meaningful for the citizenry.
It is on record that since assumption of office, May 29 2015 as Governor of Delta State, His Excellency, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has through his five point SMART agenda initiated policies and programmes which are bearing fruits in various sectors such as health and education as well as Job Creation among others.
For example, the Governor has approved of over 107 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the State and has also made a policy to spread Primary and Secondary education to rural communities as much as possible through the “Relevant Educational Policies” leg to the SMART agenda.
The Community leader who said that Obikwele Community in Ndokwa East seems to have been neglected by successive governments in the distribution of basic amenities appealed to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa whose good works are all over the State to urgently look into the pitiable situation of the Obikwele people by providing them with a functional Primary Health Centre and Secondary School so ad to cushion the effect of the pains and strains experienced by the people in seeking these fundamental services elsewhere.
The community leader also made a passionate appeal to the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon. Friday Osanebi who represents Ndokwa East Constituency, the Chairman of the Local Government Council, Hon. Joan Governor and the commissioner representing Ndokwa Nation on the Board of the Delta Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC) to collectively pay a fact funding visit to Obikwele Community and set machinery in motion to address the very pitiable and deplorable State of Infrastructural
CONCLUSION
The community leader in his closing remarks appealed to both the Deputy Speaker and DESOPADEC Commissioner representing Ndokwa Nation, Rt. Hon Friday Osanebi and Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, respectively, to compliment Governor Okowa’s SMART Agenda by channeling their constituency projects towards addressing this very serious situation of helplessness, abandonment and neglect of Obikwele Community in order to give them a sense of belonging.
“Therefore, we appeal to the Government of Governot Okowa to beam its search light on Obikwele Community” appealed the Community leader
The community leader in his closing remarks appealed to both the Deputy Speaker and DESOPADEC Commissioner representing Ndokwa Nation, Rt. Hon Friday Osanebi and Hon. Nnamdi Ezechi, respectively, to compliment Governor Okowa’s SMART Agenda by channeling their constituency projects towards addressing this very serious situation of helplessness, abandonment and neglect of Obikwele Community in order to give them a sense of belonging.
“Therefore, we appeal to the Government of Governot Okowa to beam its search light on Obikwele Community” appealed the Community leader
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