Greetings to every well-meaning son and daughter of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom, both at home and in the diaspora. I extend my warmest greetings and sincere appreciation to you all.
What I am about to share is a product of deep reflection. It represents my personal opinion and the way I perceive the current realities confronting our beloved kingdom. I humbly encourage you to read this piece with an open and positive mind so that you can clearly understand the concerns I seek to express. This article is not intended to attack anyone personally but to stimulate sincere reflection, constructive dialogue, and a renewed sense of responsibility towards the future of Arogbo Kingdom.
For the past few days, I have been overwhelmed with thoughts, particularly since the devastating floodwaters began to engulf large portions of our kingdom. The scale of destruction has been heartbreaking. Numerous homes have been submerged, countless families have been displaced, and valuable properties worth millions have been lost to the disaster. In one of the most tragic incidents, a baby reportedly lost his life after being swept away by floodwaters while the mother was hurriedly packing her belongings in an attempt to relocate the family to safer ground. Such a painful incident should touch the conscience of every compassionate human being.
When you travel around different parts of Arogbo Kingdom, you will begin to see the frightening magnitude of this catastrophe. Nearly 70% of the houses in Awodikuro are under water. More than half of the homes across the Agoeri, Ogidigba, and Ogokiri axis have also been inundated. If one travels from Arogbo City through New Jerusalem and several neighbouring villages, it becomes evident that many of these communities have been almost completely overwhelmed by floodwaters. Entire settlements have been turned into rivers, leaving residents stranded and uncertain about their future.
Despite the enormity of this humanitarian disaster, coupled with efforts by local media platforms to draw public attention to the suffering of our people, it is deeply disappointing that the political leadership of our kingdom has remained largely silent. Many of our elected representatives and political office holders, including their media teams, have neither publicly expressed heartfelt sympathy to the victims nor announced meaningful relief interventions for the affected communities. During moments of tragedy, leadership is measured not merely by occupying public office but by demonstrating compassion, visibility, and decisive action.
Few days ago, however, I came across updates from the official palace media platform showing our revered monarch, the Agadagba, Pere of Arogbo Ijaw Kingdom, accompanied by members of his entourage, touring parts of Arogbo City to personally assess the extent of the flood damage. Witnessing this gesture brought me genuine joy and hope. That is precisely what a caring father does whenever his children are confronted with hardship. He does not remain distant; instead, he goes among them, shares in their pain, and seeks practical ways to provide comfort and solutions. For this commendable demonstration of leadership and compassion, I sincerely applaud our respected Agadagba.
Sadly, I can not express the same level of satisfaction regarding many of the political leaders representing our kingdom. Day after day, different WhatsApp platforms and various social media pages from our kingdom are flooded with campaign promises, political propaganda, and carefully crafted publicity materials from politicians and their supporters. Yet, very few of these platforms have been used to highlight the ongoing flood disaster affecting thousands of people within the very communities these leaders represent. None of them appear to have instructed their media teams to consistently advocate for urgent intervention or to amplify the cries of the victims. This silence is both unfortunate and deeply disappointing.
Even more painful is the fact that we have seen some of these same political figures publicly distributing relief materials and extending assistance to flood victims in other communities and neighbouring kingdoms. While such humanitarian gestures deserve commendation wherever they occur, it becomes difficult to understand why similar concern appears absent when the victims are people from their own ancestral homeland. *This made me ask myself very difficult questions: Has Arogbo Kingdom been taken for granted? Have our leaders become so detached from their roots that they no longer feel compelled to stand with their own people during times of distress? Or have they simply underestimated the importance of demonstrating solidarity with their own communities?
It is truly heartbreaking to witness our kingdom being neglected at such a critical moment. My words may sound harsh to some readers, but they are born out of genuine concern rather than hostility. Silence in the face of suffering serves no useful purpose. There comes a time when responsible citizens must respectfully raise their voices, not to create division, but to encourage accountability and inspire positive change.
In my personal opinion, one reason some political leaders fail to prioritise Arogbo Kingdom is because they assume the kingdom lacks sufficient electoral influence to determine political/election outcomes/results. But I respectfully disagree with this assumption. Arogbo Kingdom remains one of the most populous areas in the Ese-Odo Local Government Area. Indeed, when compared with some neighbouring local government areas, our population is substantial enough to command significant political relevance.
The real challenge, however, is not the absence of people but the absence of strategic grassroots political mobilisation. Successive political leaders have failed to organise sustained voter registration campaigns across the kingdom. They have not invested enough effort in encouraging eligible citizens to obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) or participate actively in the democratic process. Had there been consistent mobilisation over the years, Arogbo Kingdom would today possess an electoral strength capable of influencing major political decisions and compelling greater governmental attention. Instead, this missed opportunity has gradually weakened our political bargaining power, leaving many of our communities vulnerable to neglect whenever critical interventions are needed.
It is indeed unfortunate when leaders readily extend assistance to distant communities while their own people continue to suffer in silence. Such a situation should concern every son and our beloved kingdom the strength to recover from this tragedy. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Pharm. Allen S.E
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