The Acting Amayanabo/Regent of Okpoama Kingdom in Bayelsa State, HRH Paul Briggs Omubo-Suobagha, and the Council of Chiefs, on Sunday, visited victims of the damage caused by high tide at the New Camp community located along the Atlantic coastline.
It was gathered that the incident led to the destruction of properties worth millions of Naira, with the attendant frustration on the displaced residents who are predominantly fisherfolks.
During their visit, the head of the fishing settlement, Mr. Dimu, led other settlers to warmly welcome the Regent and the Chiefs, briefing them on the damages so far caused by the high tide.
Mr. Dimu later took HRH Paul Briggs Omubo-Suobagha and the Chiefs to the seashore to witness, firsthand, the effects of the damage caused by the ocean encroachment on the fishing camp inhabited by the fisherfolks.
A statement signed by Chief T.J Wariaye-Dundas, Secretary of the Okpoama Kingdom Council of Chiefs, quoted the Regent to have empathised with the victims of the ocean surge.
The Acting Amayanabo of Okpoama Kingdom, through the Town Planning and Land Allocation Committee, had earlier relocated the victims to a safer site as a temporary measure, the statement hinted.
The Regent called on the federal, state, and local governments to urgently intervene with relief materials to assist the victims and to develop measures to protect the seashore to prevent further encroachment.
Speaking to newsmen during the on-the-spot assessment, Chief Emmanuel Beredugo-Elei pleaded with the government and relevant authorities to aid the victims who have lost valuables to the sudden sea surge.
“I have been a Chief in Okpoama Kingdom for more than thirty years and have also been actively involved in fishing activities when I was younger in the Atlantic Ocean.
“However I have never seen or witnessed this magnitude of flooding that has washed off a good portion of land along our coastline, he said.
On his part, the Head of the New Camp fishing settlement, Mr. Dimu, profusely thanked the Regent and the Kingdom’s leadership for the visit to the settlement.
He expressed that the visit was a moral booster and a reassuring sign that the victims are not alone, giving them the courage to move forward despite the environmental challenge.