‘Egi Land Has Been Shortchanged In Infrastructure’

A passionate appeal has been made to both the federal and state goverments over the poor infrastructure and development of Egiland in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Chairman of Egi Professors and Academic Doctors Forum (EPADOF), Prof. Daniel Ogum made the appeal in a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt.
He lamented that despite producing a quarter of the nation’s gas and oil resources, the area has nothing to boast of including hospitals and other key public utilities.
He said,” the pain in our hearts is enormous. Over the past five decades, when natural gas and oil were extracted on our land, coupled with the huge revenue to the Federal Government, we don’t have a hospital that has oxygen.”
Prof Ogum stated that their call is also made salient as a result of continuous environmental degradation that has caused economic losses and hardship to the people of the area.
The university teacher, who also doubles as the institutional partner and steering committee chairman of the upcoming Egi Summit slated for December 26 in Obite Town said the people needed to be treated as citizens of the nation, so as to enjoy their God- given resources.
It is against this backdrop that he revealed that the Egi Summit is being organised to showcase and boost Egiland’s status among other things, to draw attention on the need for investments in the area.
The summit he further submitted forms part of the Egi Declaration 2023 that,” shall serve as Egi development compass and strategic plan in the decades ahead.”

By: Kevin Nengia