Edevbie makes case for riverine development

URHOBO chief, Olorogun David Edevbie, has debunked the claim that riverine communities suffer underdevelopment due to their difficult terrains.

He said that with sincere commitment to the welfare of people in the area, the perception could be reversed.

“Our experience in Delta and many other parts of Nigeria is that the riverine communities have always been left out of development. The situation has presented serious inequity in human and economic development, leaving majority of the people mostly in poverty and low standard of living.

“The usual excuse is that, being riverine, the terrain is expensive to develop. The added negative impact is that, being undeveloped, it becomes difficult to draw in infrastructures which also makes it difficult for investors to go in to drive industrialisation, which in turn also makes it difficult to create meaningful employment opportunities and platforms for enterprise.

“We need to reverse this outlook. It is true that the riverine area is expensive to develop but we must also recognise that the same riverine areas provide a significant portion of the state and national revenue through their oil and gas deposits, agricultural and marine resources. From whom much is taken, much also should be given.” Edevbie, who spoke at the weekend, said he decided to join the state’s gubernatorial race to prove that riverine areas could be profitably developed.