The decay in Infracstructures in Rumuolumeni town

BRIEF HISTORY.
The Rumuolumeni people are of the Ikwerre extraction. They are found in present ObioAkpor local government area of Rivers state, they are bothered on the Western flank by the Ogbakiris and Kalabaris, Southern flank by UST/Agip Eagle Island creek while on the North and Eastern axis by their Ikwerre kinsmen. They are mainly farmers while few of them are into fishing. The elites and educated amongst them work in some of the numerous companies that operate within and outside the community. There are many villages that make up this community-Nkpor, Ngbodonha, Azumini, Iwofe, Mgboshimini etc all which have been subsumed into one community as a result of urbanisation and industrialisation. All these Rumuolumeni hamlets, communities and villages are under one paramount ruler that goes by the tile “NYEWELEA” who has other smaller chiefs that report to him on issues in all the villages/satellite towns that make up the town and the indigenous language is “IKWERRE”.


It is now an industrial hub in (second to Trans-Amadi industrial layout) Port-Harcourt no doubt owing to its location and condition-relative peace, hospitality of its people, availability of land space, proximity to the sea via its numerous and natural water channels/creeks, central location and fine/peculiar qualities that make it stand out. This has made it to be host to some industrial giants in the oil and gas, agro allied, education, military etc. Companies and establishments doing businesses there are but not limited to the following; Saipem, Aveon offshore, Grinaker, Eagle cement, Master Energy, Modant marine, Nigerian Navy [NNS PATHFINDER], Ignatius Ajuri University of Education etc.

Access to this community is through the following roads; Wimpey/Iwofe road, Chinda /Douglas road via mile 4, Elepranwa road, Ogbogoro/St John’s road. It can also be accessed through the numerous creeks around it; from the Agip/Eagle island UST creak, the Kalabari and Ogbakri creeks etc. There has been plans by this present administration of Rotimi Amaechi to build a dual carriage superhighway from UTC junction that will pass through mile two Timber/Elabuchi road, Eagle Island , with a bridge on the Agip Mgboshimini creek, Aker road to St John passing through the back of Ogbogoro slaughter, adjacent to NTA and linking the Obiri-Ikwerre interchange to the new and abandoned airport road. There was also plan to dualise the Wimpey, Rumuolumeni, Iwofe road with a bridge to Ogbakiri. There is also a plan by the present administration to build the trans Kalahari road to Bakana, Tombia and other Kalabari communities within.

With all the aforementioned, one will be under the elution that the commonest government presence would be felt in this community. The revers is the case. There is just only one manageable and motor-able road into this community- the Chinda/Duglas road mile four link road. Almost all economic and other activities to and from is through this tiny stretch of road. This road was built by the state government, but was not completed and properly done. Some portions of the road are giving way due to too much load which the road was not designed to handle.The only road that the government is resurfacing for now is the Wimpey, Rumuolumeni, Egboshimi Iwofe road, but at a snail’s speed by the contractor MCC. All the other roads that the government started have been abandoned-Elepranwa road and the Ogbogoro/St John’s road base on political reason. Even the renovation and rebranding of schools by the state government was not extended to any of the public schools here.



At any given forum the governor will be quick to point out that all the road projects were given to indigenes contractors from the community -Chief Nyoson Wike and other people in the community. The state government’s acclaimed good governance team project appears to be a mere propaganda and has yet to indict any erring contractor or company who have failed to deliver on their contractual terms. To strengthen the socio-economic and industrial development of the country, the government must exercise the political will to put in place an adequate, strong, and vibrant institutional and legal framework that addresses the problem of bad governance, infrastructural decay and weak implementation and enforcement of procedures. The government must be proactive in its dealings and consider the interest of the citizens as first priority by providing them with the essential basic infrastructures and amenities that would better their lives

And at times the Governor will blame his inefficiencies on the federal government. The following are pertinent questions that need answers; are any of the aforementioned roads federal roads ?. If they are, is it a illegal to have state roads and federal roads together in a place?. what happened to other communities in the state that development is ongoing, does that mean the indigenes of Rumuolumeni hate everything about the community with passion?, why can’t the government prosecute these people that embezzled contract mobilisation?. The answer is political difference. When the going was good between the governor and his fellow crooks we did not hear anything, why is the governor telling us now, because their relationship has gone sour. The Governor needs to explain to the people living and doing businesses here why this level of neglect, hatred abandonment from his administration.



Does that mean this community is not part of Rivers State, people doing businesses here are not paying taxes as at when due to the Government?, maybe the people here did not vote for him [so its payback time now using abandonment tool]. Even in our various homes not all our children will like us, but as parents we still have that compulsory obligation to show love to all our children irrespective of their difference in perception.


 So Mr Governor you owe this community that civil and undeniable obligation to extend dividend of democracy the way you have been doing to other communities in the state irrespective of your political difference with the Nyeson Wikes and others from this community. There is an axion that says “when two Elephant fight it is the grass that suffers”, in this case the masses of this community are the ones suffering.

There was a tripartite agreement involving the community, the state Government and companies operating in the area to resurface some of the link roads as one of the cooperate social responsibilities that the companies owe host community. This agreement was the result of frequent pressure and incessant down time meted to the companies by the youths.


The few resurfaced road are nothing to write home about and will not withstand the next raining season, some have started giving way due to poor quality of work. the only exception is the portion being done by AVEON offshore from town hall to Douglas link road junction. This is the point that the interventionist agency- NDDC Is meant to come , but theirs is the worst. There presence is sparingly felt because they will just pour chippings on the road and use black adhesive to stick the chippings on the road. Their roads do not last more than some days,

At this point its imperative that all the abandoned projects especially roads are revisited e.g. the dual carriage superhighway from UTC junction that will pass through mile two timber/Elabuchi, Eagle Island , with a bridge on the Agip Mgboshimini creek, Aker road to St John passing at the back of Ogbogoro slaughter, adjacent to NTA and linking the Obiri-Ikwerre interchange to the new and abandoned airport road.


The economic and other importance of this road can not be overemphasised. This road when built will make the journey shorter for people going to the airport and beyond from the town/old GRA, Diobu, Dline, Rumuolumeni and others around here. It will also decongest the other roads that lead to airport and beyond. It will also put a stop to frequencies in boat mishaps on the Agip/Mgboshimini water way.

The Wimpey, Rumuolumeni, Egboshimi Iwofe road with a bridge to Ogbakiri. The will decongest greatly the Uniport/Choba part of the East west road as well as the NTA/Mgboba road. it will also serve as a shorter bypass into Emohua, hence people living around Emohua, Ogbakiri and their environs can comfortably be coming to work in Port-Harcourt everyday from these place[s] at cheaper and quicker rate. It will also take development to these places and decongest Port-Harcourt.

A journey by boat to Bakana and Tombia and the other Kalabari communities around takes ten minutes and fifteen minutes respectively, the trans Kalahari road to Bakana, Tombia and other Kalabari communities within will make this journey safer, shorter, quicker, cheaper more pleasurable. This road will also decongest Port-harcourt, bring development to all these communities.

The above mention road will serve as agent of development to these communities, decongest Port-Harcourt, bring Port-harcourt closer to these places. It will also help the Government on its drive to achieve its dream of Greater Port-Harcourt, because it will connect plenty of the riverine communities hitherto far due to lack of connecting bridges. One of the major things the Government needs to overcome is the phobia for construction of bridges. If the Government can overcome this, a lot of the riverine communities will be connected to the city centre-Port-harcourt in no distant time and lots of people will naturally operate from their communities.

By Mr Rivers.
A conserved citizen.