By: Ike Philip Abiagom
Ebu, a historic and culturally rich community in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, has become a symbol of long-standing neglect and abandonment by successive administrations. Despite its vast agricultural potential, strategic location and law-abiding population, the community has remained cut off from basic infrastructure and essential social services for decades.
Investigations by Newsbreeze, through interviews with traditional Chiefs, youth, elders and residents, reveal deep frustration over what they describe as systematic exclusion from government development plans.
Residents insist that although they continue to vote, pay taxes and support constituted authorities, their community has been left to decay.
One of the most visible signs of neglect in Ebu is its deplorable road network. Apart from the dilapidated Auchi Road, which has remained abandoned for years, there are no tarred internal roads within the community. During the rainy season, movement becomes almost impossible as the roads turn into muddy traps, worsening flooding and erosion.
A traditional Chief in the community, Chief Tony Ogbuji , lamented the situation, describing the neglect as unbearable.
“There are no internal tarred roads in Ebu. Our streets have been abandoned for decades. Even a wheelbarrow cannot pass through these roads, let alone a car. There are no streetlights, no solar water systems and no drainage,” he said.
Chief Ogbuji added that despite the absence of basic amenities, residents of Ebu have consistently participated in elections and supported the government in power.
“Our people are patient, but that patience is wearing thin. If this neglect continues, we may be forced to boycott future elections because we feel completely abandoned by our government.
The poor state of infrastructure has also heightened insecurity in the community. Residents say most streets are plunged into total darkness at night due to the absence of streetlights, creating safe havens for criminal activities.
Kingsley Edem, a farmer and resident, described the condition of the community as “disgraceful.”
“We have been abandoned by every administration. What offence has Ebu committed to deserve decades of neglect? Is it because we have no political voice to speak for us?” he asked, calling for urgent government intervention to prevent further deterioration.
Education in Ebu is another major casualty of neglect. Children are forced to trek long distances erosion eaten road to attend dilapidated schools lacking teachers, learning materials and basic infrastructure.
Many youths abandon their education altogether due to hardship.
Healthcare services are also almost non-existent. The community lacks a functional primary healthcare centre or hospital that operates year-round. As a result, residents rely heavily on traditional medicine, not by choice but by necessity. According to locals, many lives have been lost to preventable illnesses due to the absence of accessible and adequate healthcare facilities.
Ebu is blessed with fertile land suitable for agriculture and aquaculture. Farmers in the community supply food to neighbouring communities and urban centres. However, poor road access, lack of modern farming equipment, storage facilities and market linkages have severely limited productivity.
Residents believe that with proper government investment, Ebu could become a major agricultural hub and contribute significantly to the state’s economy.
Adding to the community’s woes is the lack of access to clean drinking water. Ebu has no modern boreholes, forcing residents to rely on streams and rivers for dring water. Locals lament that in this modern era, they are still exposed to waterborne diseases such as typhoid and cholera due to contaminated water sources.
What pains the people of Ebu most, according to residents, is the failure of government to uphold its responsibility to them. Despite the community’s strategic location as a potential gateway to northern parts of the country, Ebu has remained excluded from key development initiatives.
“The issue is not just underdevelopment; it is injustice,” an aggrieved resident told Newsbreeze.
“Development is not a favour; it is our right. We are not asking for miracles. We are asking to be treated as citizens of Delta State, not forgotten statistics.”
As the rainy season approaches and fears of flooding and erosion intensify, the people of Ebu are once again appealing to the Delta State Government to urgently intervene and not to abandone Ebu as like other past administrations. For a community rich in history, culture and potential, residents insist that continued neglect is no longer acceptable.
Ebu’s story serves as a stark reminder that meaningful development cannot be achieved while entire communities remain isolated and forgotten.