Welcome to Oproama, a riverine community in Asari Toru local Government in Rivers state. Oproama community is surrounded by water, but a lonely island far from mainland of development. Making it an abandoned treasure and oil base.
The first time I arrived this community for my NYSC primary assignment, I felt this unimaginable love for this community even when the environment seem dry and far from Government recognition, development for an oil producing community. This is a community Shell, a global oil company explores oil, and yet Oproama can’t boost of electricity power supply for over one year. I came into this community to serve my country in November 2015, I didn’t see any traces of electricity power supply. Now am rounding up, this is July 2016 and yet Oproama is still in darkness. Light never come there.
Going to Oproama is by boat. When you are coming to Oproama community, just forget about mobile network communication. Once you land at the community jetty, the mobile network on your phone flies out as if you are on “lonely island” without communication. There is poor service for the 4 main telecom network in Nigeria in that community. Even when there is any form of network for the networks in terms of calls, it fluctuates, comes and goes like PHCN light that is not constant. For internet service, just forget about browsing when you come to this community.
I think the ministry of environment needs to visit this community. I just hope we won’t experience an outbreak of airborne or another form of diseases. This is because indigenes don’t have any reasonable place to empty dirts, wastes.
They empty every of their waste inside their water, and they are surrounded by water. Their toilet waste is inside the water, unused thrash and other waste is that same water. And they swim the water, get fishes from this same water. A close observation when visiting this community, one will discover that the entrance of the jetty is smelling due to wasted deposited into the water. In as much as Corp members posted to that area are trying their best on sensitization, alternative ways of depositing their waste products, the Government needs to do something positive so that indigenes won’t be empting their dirts into the water. Ofcourse it’s a flowing water which channels to other areas. When dirts are being emptied into the water, it moves to another place. Some one might say it’s okay since it’s a flowing water so the dirts are not static. But it’s not. What of the dirts that is coming into the community! It’s water pollution and so many uses the water to bath. Any outbreak in the water, it spreads too.
Every morning when I see some youths who will refuse to do anything tangible with their lives, but rather play football all morning, get their teenage girls pregnant. All because amnesty money, allowance is entering their bank accounts monthly. But notwithstanding, the ones that are ready to go to school and learn, the state of the schools in that community is not encouraging to study. Even top politicians, oil workers can’t send their children to that kind of school environment to study. And yet Government is making money from this school, getting oil. Oil companies are doing good business there.
Why can’t the Government of Nigeria help this community? Ehhh why?
Even if am not from this community, Oproama, it automatically becomes mine because am serving here and am part of the growth and development, and also share in the pain. The Government should endevour to give them a better source of clean water. Since I have been there, I have only seen just one tap which only works just once a week. Probably gives water for 30 minutes and shuts down. Then wait till another 2 weeks again. I want the Federal and state Government to visit this community. They need good health care services.
Source: Hova Buzz
