As the incessant fire outbreak around the busy Abonnema Wharf Road becomes a talking point, there seem to be some misgivings about certain decisions taken by the authorities of the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area to curb future reoccurrence. In an Exclusive chat with some individuals including the Chairman of Abonnema Wharf Waterfront, Chief Taribo Benson, Africa Update was reliably informed that illegal oil bunkering activities were taking place along the Abonnema Wharf Road and not the jetty area, as misconstrued.
Benson, said the clarification has become necessary sequel to the announcement made by authorities of Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, PHALGA, to demolish shanties in the area. He noted that the nefarious act was carried out by hooligans and miscreants who have taken over the road causes serious danger to Kalabaris, who travel through the route to Bakana, Kee and other Communities not linked by road.
He further observed that commuters to these Kalabari communities have experienced unimaginable losses including fatalities, due to these activities of oil mongers who usually blocked the roads with trucks causing gridlocks. He called on the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike to urgently come to their rescue to prevent such demeaning treatment.
His words: My name is Chief Taribo Benson. I’m the Chairman of the Abonnema Wharf waterfront here. Most times, these fire incidents occur along the road when these tanker drivers carry their products from the tank farm. Some of them, instead of taking it to their station direct as they load from the tank farm, they’ll hang around and scoop fuel to sell to those people who own those shanti shops along the road.
Now when they sell to them, those people will put them into those their shops along the road and carelessly it will cause this fire.
Last time, same thing happened that those from that railway area caused fire, they still said Abonnema Wharf.
So, people do not understand, Abonnema Wharf is different from the road. You will pass through that road to Abonnema Wharf, so any time something happens, they will say Abonnema Wharf. That is why sometimes I will ask them to come to the Abonnema Wharf and do their investigation.
This Abonnema Wharf is a Kalabari predominant place where we stay, our people who do not have motor road from different communities pass through this place, come to market, there are shops here where they sell drinks, food, people send for meat from Bakana and they take it to them.
So we too on our own, we have tried to protest.
Like last week thursday we protested because sometimes they will park these trucks, you as a Rivers person, you will see sometimes they’ll park to even an extent of Aba road, and block the road. A road of about two to five minutes drive, you will spend one hour plus to go through. So last week thursday, the community youths revolted and went to the NUPENG heads in this place and stopped their work, that they should talk on how we’re going to manage this place in respect of these their people scooping fuel and blocking this road.
They came and addressed our youths that they will manage the road for us before this incident happened. I want to also tell you, two weeks ago somebody was sick from Bakana and was rushing to BMH, because of parking and the activities at that place, the place was blocked. By the time we cleared the road, until getting to BMH, along the road the person gave up.
So we are also calling on our human friendly Governor to make sure he puts this people on check. But Abonnema Wharf has no problem, there are security personnel here, there are no illegal bunkering activities as they are mentioning in Abonnema Wharf. You have seen yourself, market women, people busy buying banana, plantain, going to their different places, people traveling from Bakana, Kee and other communities, passes through this place, that is what we are here for, we are not for that business they are talking.
That place is always the place causing the problem.
Look at the place, if there is a burnt thing here you will see that fire happened to this place. If that truck is burning in Abonnema Wharf, truck is not a can where it will burn and nobody will see it. It is a big object that if it burns, the skeleton will still remain, so that is why we’re pleading with our Governor, the local government chairman, special duties, if possible, they should send an investigating team to come and investigate so that they will know where the problem is. So that all of us will also join them to put that to a stop so that it will not affect Abonnema Wharf and destroy the life of our people here. Thank you.”
