Edo community cries out over abandoned health centre

There was so much joy and hope among inhabitants of Avbiama community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State in 2013, when local authorities, with the support of an international agency, commenced the construction of a health centre in the rural community. The people saw the development as the answer to their prayer for an accessible and affordable health care.

The abandoned health centre now surrounded by bush

Two years on, the health facility has been completed, but unfortunately, it has also been abandoned. A visit by Niger Delta Report to the area and premises of the centre revealed a place overtaken by weeds and providing shelter for rodents and insects of various types.

Instead of the reachable and inexpensive healthcare the residents of the Avbiama dreamt of when construction of the centre commenced, they still have to travel to Central Hospital in Benin City, the state capital for their health needs. Their sojourn in search of medical aid is even made more arduous my the deplorable state of the road leading to the community.

Our reporter could not gain entrance to the now abandoned health centre because of overgrown weeds and fear of snakes and other dangerous living things that could be lurking within the bushy building.

Chairman of Avbiama Community Development Association, Sunday Obazee, told our reporter that the hospital was well equipped after its completion, but lamented that there were no medical personnel employed by the local councils to man them.

“There is a well-equipped primary health centre, but no staff. We go to Benin to get good health care. The place was built two years ago and it has been locked up since. We don’t know why they did not make it operational. We have been to local council and they said they don’t have fund to make it operational.

“We clear the bush all the time hoping they would come and make it operational but nothing has been forthcoming.”

More worrisome for Sunday and inhabitants of the community in their quests to seek health and other assistance outside their space is the deplorable state of the roads leading to the community.

The roads, according to Sunday, were worsened following heavy duty lorries a Chinese firm are using to collect clay from burrow pits in the community.

Ironically, the clay which the firm, Time Ceramics Company, uses for production of tiles and ceramic plates, was seen as waste products from the burrow pits.

Sunday said they stopped the firm from collecting clay from the burrow pits because the firm refuses to contribute money towards repair of the road.

His words, “Before now, the road was being managed until the Chinese firm came and started collecting clay as their raw material from this community. They contributed to the present bad state of the road. The company is sited at Utesi village. They only come here for their raw materials. We stopped them from coming because the man that owns the pit they were they collecting the materials from did not contribute anything to the repairs of the road. We just did not want them to worsen the road situation more than they have done, so we decided to stop them.”

Sunday denied widespread report that N10m was paid to the community by the Chinese firm, insisting that nothing was paid to the community. He said the leaders of the Avbiama were surprised to see lorries carting away clay without informing the community leaders and the traditional of the source of their authority to do so.

“We don’t actually see the use of clay as any raw materials. We used to see the clay as a waste product from the pit. To my understanding, they said they are using it for ceramics. We expect that the company to pay stipend for the road repairs.

“We want government to repair this road. Two years ago, NDDC said they have awarded this road. They brought bulldozers and all of a sudden they stopped. We have been to their office and they kept telling us they would return to site. There is only one transformer providing electricity for this community and it has been overloaded.”

It was difficult for our reporter to get the views of Time Ceramics as the spokesman of the firm was said to be sleeping when our reporter visited the company.

Edo community cries out over abandoned health centre