From Amgbare Prince in Yenagoa
In the heart of Bayelsa State, the historic communities of Famgbe and Obogoro in the Atissa Kingdom are teetering on the brink of extinction.
For over a decade, relentless erosion has ravaged these coastal villages, swallowing homes, displacing families, and threatening the revered Atissa King’s Palace in Obogoro.
The Atissa Youth Council, led by Comrade Josiah Osomuze, has issued a passionate “Save Our Soul” plea to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and its MD/CEO, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, urging immediate action to revive the long-abandoned Famgbe/Obogoro land reclamation project.
The project, initiated by the NDDC over 11 years ago, was meant to protect these communities from the destructive forces of erosion.
However, an alleged engineering defect halted progress, and administrative transitions have left the initiative in limbo.
The prolonged delay has eroded public trust in the NDDC, with residents losing homes, properties worth billions of naira, and, in some tragic cases, lives.
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As seasonal floods loom, thousands live in fear, their futures uncertain. “Our people live at the riverbank, yet our boys and girls can’t fetch water from the river,” Osomuze laments, highlighting the paradox of despair in a region surrounded by water.
The Atissa Youth Council acknowledges Dr. Ogbuku’s transformative efforts, such as the “Operation Light Up Niger Delta” initiative, which has brought solar-powered lighting to the region.
They now implore him to channel this same energy into addressing the erosion crisis.
The potential loss of the Atissa King’s Palace is not just a physical tragedy but a cultural and spiritual blow, described as a “taboo” that would strip the kingdom of its dignity.
The council’s call is resolute: they will not relent until contractors are mobilized and the reclamation project resumes.
Their voices, they vow, will echo in the NDDC’s boardrooms and the Senate House Committee on NDDC until action is taken.
“We refuse to believe that our demand is beyond the scope of the NDDC’s mandate,” Osomuze declares, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
For the people of Famgbe and Obogoro, the time for NDDC to act is not tomorrow—it is now.
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