By Austin Ogwuda
AMIDST the outcry that greeted the arrest of a protesting young man in the viral video, taking his bath in a pool of water artificially created right at the middle of a popular road as a result of poor condition of the road, Delta State government says the arrest was justified.
The unidentified man from Delta State who recently used TikTok to highlight the deplorable state of Shell Road in Sapele, likening the road to a “swimming pool” due to frequent flooding.
In the video, the man directly called out the Delta State Governor and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, shouting, “Governor Sheriff, former Governor Okowa, you have failed us. Look at the road; it is like a pool”.
Following his arrest, social media users went haywire condemning the development.
Some noted that the man’s action action was intended to draw attention to enable the road to be fixed and accused the Delta State government for allegedly sending undercover security agents to get the man arrested.
…. Delta govt denies having hands in the arrest but says it’s justified
However, the Director General, Delta State Orientation and Communications Bureau, Dr (Barr) Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe came to the defence of government on Sunday.
In reaction to the arrest, Latimore Oghenesivbe said, “The trending video of a young man bathing in dirty road water is distasteful and should not be encouraged by any right thinking individual.
“Bathing in contaminated water can cause certain health problems including; skin irritation caused by contact with small larvae called cercarias, eye, ear and throat infections, among others. This is not the right way or strategy to attract government attention.
“Government is investing heavily on quality healthcare for our people, and it is very unfair for one of our brothers to bath in dirty road water without considering the possible health hazards. He must never do that again.
“His subsequent arrest”, Latimore went on, “was never at the instance of the State governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori. The law enforcement agents may have interpreted the actions of the young man to mean suicide attempt which is against the Law.
“Anything could have happened to him while taking his bath in dirty road water. It is a wrong strategy to protest or attract government attention.
“Governor Oborevwori is currently paying adequate attention to roads in Sapele local government area, and the other 24 local government areas in the state. The MORE Agenda implementation will go round the three senatorial districts.
“Government cannot handle all the dilapidated or bad roads at the same time. They shall be rehabilitated and reconstructed along with other categories of infrastructure in phases across the state.
“Governor Oborevwori is working round the clock to Advance Delta beyond 2027 and it is only fair to join hands with him to bring unprecedented development to our dear State”, he further explained.
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Credit photo: News Net
Photo caption: the man bathing in ‘Sapele Swimming pool’ that went viral
