By Anayo Akwitti
The Senate has called for urgent Federal Government intervention to save Obogoro Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State from extinction following severe erosion and ocean surges that have destroyed homes, schools, farmlands and other public infrastructure.
The motion, sponsored by Senator Benson Friday Konbowei, representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, revealed that about 300 residents had been rendered homeless, while the community’s ancestral land remained under threat from the worsening environmental crisis.
Adopting the motion, the Senate urged the Federal Government, the Ecological Project Office, the Federal Ministry of Environment and the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to urgently provide shoreline protection to prevent further destruction of the community.
It also called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to residents displaced by recurring erosion and flooding.
Contributing to the debate, senators expressed concern over the failure of relevant government agencies to implement previous legislative resolutions aimed at addressing erosion and other environmental challenges across the country.
They called for stronger legislative oversight and enforcement to ensure that resolutions passed by the National Assembly translate into concrete action and lasting solutions for affected communities.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, warned that climate change and rising ocean levels posed a growing threat to coastal communities in Bayelsa State and other parts of the Niger Delta.
Akpabio observed that the scale of the proposed shoreline protection project required substantial Federal Government intervention, noting that the NDDC alone might not have the financial capacity to execute the project.
He subsequently directed chairmen of relevant Senate committees to ensure that government agencies complied with resolutions of the chamber, warning that the Senate would invoke its constitutional powers against agencies that failed to discharge their responsibilities.
The Senate’s intervention is aimed at preventing further destruction in Obogoro Community and ensuring that affected residents receive urgent assistance while long-term measures are put in place to address the erosion threat.
