From Owen Akenzua, Asaba
Okuama Community in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State has continued to suffer the aftermath of a recent unrest, as government’s presence remains conspicuously absent.
While national focus has shifted, reality bites hard on the people who have managed to survive the chaos.
With their homes reduced to rubble and livelihoods lost, the people of Okuama are now faced with the daunting task of rebuilding from nothing, right in the very place they once called home.
Seven members of the community are reportedly languishing in military detention, without trial or access to legal support. Their families, left behind, have no means of survival. For them, each passing day is a struggle against hunger, cold and uncertainty. They are not just displaced; they are being erased from the conscience of the state.
Despite the massive hardship being endured, there has been a disturbing silence from the Delta State government and Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, the traditional mouthpiece of Urhobo people. Once vocal in community affairs, UPU appears to have lost its voice at a time when it is needed the most. Prominent Urhobo leaders, too, have remained mute, offering no tangible intervention.
Newborn babies are now suffering from severe malnutrition, as food and medical supplies remain inaccessible. Without proper healthcare services, the community is on the brink of a public health crisis. Children cry out in hunger, while elders slowly wither from neglect, their dignity stripped away by abandonment.
Okuama has essentially become a humanitarian disaster zone, right within Delta State. The contrast is damning: while state coffers receive billions of naira monthly, no significant relief or mention of Okuama’s plight makes it to the agenda of the state executive council. It is as though the community has been deliberately forgotten.
This humanitarian oversight is not only tragic, it is deeply unjust. Government exists to protect and provide for all citizens, regardless of political expediency. Okuama deserves more than silence and neglect. Its people deserve dignity, justice and a chance to rebuild their lives.
Until concrete steps are taken to address the crisis in Okuama, rebuilding homes, releasing detainees and restoring healthcare and welfare services, the state’s silence will remain a loud testimony to systemic abandonment. For the people, every new day is a call for urgent action and the time to listen is now.
But in a swift reaction, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori dismissed the allegation as misleading and falsehood against government, insisting that the state government is committed to the wellbeing of the people.
