July 14, (THEWILL) – Two communities in Cross River State, Opirikwu and Igede Idi, have raised alarm over the poor state of public infrastructure in both areas.
The Communities are located in Yala Local Government Area in the Northern Senatorial District of the state.
The residents lamented that the total neglect of the communities is threatening the ongoing voters registration and this may disenfranchise voters in both communities.
Speaking on behalf of the communities, immediate past councilor of Igede ward, Patrick Agogo, lamented how absence of basic infrastructure in the community has stalled development in the area.
He lamented the inability of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials to capture the communities in the ongoing permanent voters Registration PVC exercise, to enable the residents participate in the forthcoming 2023 general elections.
He stressed that absence of basic infrastructure in the area has stalled the biometric registration.
The community residents called on the independent National Electoral Commission to find an alternative means of getting the bad network issue resolved, so that their people don’t remain disenfranchised.
“As it stands now, half of our people remain unregistered in the ongoing PVC registration, which is currently ongoing in the country.
“The attendant effect is that many are already disenfranchised, unless something is done urgently to salvage the situation.
“How can our people not be registered, even when they are willing and very eager to participate in the electoral process, you come here only to tell people that they can’t register and get their PVCs due to poor and bad Network.
“Many have been left unregistered owing to bad network, despite our assistance to INEC staff, who were on ground for the PVC registration exercise in the community”, the community leader lamented.
Painting a picture of the dearth of infrastructure in the area, he said the only link road is a bridge and was constructed through community effort.
“The only wood bridges that link the community with other communities in Yala LGA were locally Constructed through effort of the community, Ehum odudu to oyoba road bridge, ehwum AGC operikwu to owere road bridge.
“The last one was ocheche igbakobor operikwu bridge, we cannot even pass there now, all these as a result of bad politics”, he said.
THEWILL Correspondent, Aniekan Bassey has over six years experience that spans across several fields in print journalism including development communication, sexual reproductive and health rights issues, crime, climate change, social justice, business and human interest stories.
