64 years of Oil discovery: Royal Father decries lack of basic infrastructure in Ogbia kingdom .Urges FG to provide Ogbia needs

 By Austin Genesis

  The Obenabhan of Ogbia local government area of Bayelsa State, His Royal Majesty Dumaro Charles Owaba has decried lack of basic infrastructure to uplift the socio-economic wellbeing of the people of the area, 64 years after the discovery of crude oil at Oloibiri.

President Muhammadu Buhari

 The Royal Father who made the assertion on Tuesday while speaking with Global Overseer at his palace, lamented that the Oil revenue deriving from the area was used to developing other areas in the country; but Ogbia kingdom has nothing tangible to show on ground as where crude oil was first discovered in large commercial quantities in Nigeria and West Africa, in 1956.

   He noted with regret that the federal government has been frequently awarding major contracts worth billions of naira to different geopolitical Zones of the country, but Ogbia local government area in the South South geopolitical Zone was left out in the federal government development agenda. 

  “Frequently the federal government has been awarding contracts for major projects such as Airports, Railways, Seaports, and Universities among others.All these projects were located in other geopolitical Zones of the country. But if you go to Ogbia kingdom, that produced the first crude Oil well, has nothing to write home about.

So, I want to use this medium to appeal to the federal government to come and develop Ogbia local government area with basic amenities that will uplift the socio-economic well being of the people.

This is necessary, God knows the purpose he made Ogbia the first place to produce crude Oil in the whole country and West Africa, in large commercial quantities in 1956 at Oloibiri.

So, we need super highways, international Airport, and more Universities in the local government area.

You cannot travel by road in some part of Ogbia like Anyama clan (Ogbia constituency 2) where some years ago the federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs embarked on feasibility study to construct Ekoli motarable road to link the area. But nothing is happening till today,” he emphasized.

  King Owaba also pointed out that even the motorable road to Ogbia town; the headquarters of the local government area was constructed below Job specification.

 “It is Grade C road; very low, as a result, in every season of the year the road is washed and needs some maintenance, but is not a solid road, “royal father said.

  The Royal Father passionately pleaded with President Muhammadu Buhari to establish a federal seaport at Ogbia town, the headquarters of the kingdom, which he said, was closer to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as major industries that would create employment for the teeming unemployed youths of the LGA.

  The move, he said would help to curb the incessant armed robbery, kidnapping, sea piracy, and other forms of social ills arising from lack of employment, apart from given the people of the area sense of belonging.