PRESIDENT General of Eme-Ora Progress Union, Prophet Emmanuel Ojo Akhigbe-Agge, has said that the people of Eme-ora have been out rightly marginalized by successive and current administration both at the state and by the federal government.
Prophet Ojo said this yesterday while briefing newsmen at the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected national executives of Eme-ora progress union in Owan west local government area of Edo state.
Ojo said that successive governments have decided to relegate them to the
background because they are in the minority and that when other communities and local governments are talking about the dividends of democracy, it sounds strange to them because they have not felt any impact of it.
He said: “The major issue confronting us is that the Eme-ora person is not empowered because we are a minority. Talking about the state, we are from Owan west and infact, the entire Owan west is not empowered. Owan west has not gained anything from the government.”
Emmanuel noted that the only road linking the community has been rendered impassable over the years and such has hampered the social economic activities and development of the people of Owan stressing that it is a pity that government only come to render palliative when elections are by the corner just to get their votes and after the election, the people are abandoned to their fate.
“During the election of probably 2012 or 2015, they came to start patching the road. They came to the boundary between Eme and Sabogida-Ora, then, they stopped. There is no responsible government about road that we can point at. The school that the state government gave to us as part of constituency project, is a pool. Go there, take a shot, it’s a pool. It’s a river.
Even the so called borehole they claimed they gave us it’s not working.
I say Owan West have been marginalized. Is the secretary to the state government (S.S.G) from Uhuese-osi? But how is his road? Look at the all roads; look at the community, Uzebba community, look at the road to Opuje, I was speaking for E.P.U, but I can’t speak for EPU without touching on government. It has been long Owan west have been neglected, and abandoned. It is only God that will help Owan west”, he reflected.
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Ojo further pointed out that the problem of the community is further worsen by the total darkness they have been plunged into over the years due to faulty transformer. He said this ugly trend has made life unbearable for the people of the community stressing that he has personally assisted the community with a transformer.
“We have 10 quarters and as we speak, Eme-ora have not had electricity for the past one year. As we speak, Eme-ora has no electricity for a year now. The electricity in Eme-ora, the transformer was packed up on April 20th, 2015. In 2014, there was no light for about eight months.
In 2013, Eme-ora had no light for about five months. As you could see, I donated a transformer for our community to help alleviate the situation but those in charge have not deemed it fit to give us electricity”, he said.
Emmanuel reiterated that they are tired of lamentation and that with the inauguration of the newly elected executives of Ema-Ora Progress Union who are ready to work hand-in-hand with the sons and daughters of the community to build on the achievements of its founding fathers
in order to make the community a hob of investment and development.