By Harriet Anetor
The people of Idheze Community in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State have decried the absence of Telecommunication providers in their community.
Indigenes of Idheze for so long have been facing the challenge of easy communication through their cell phones due to the absence of network service providers such as MTN, GLO, ETISALAT or AIRTEL. They have over the years succumbed to the use of antennal, trekking long distance to climb hills at the extreme end of the town or in most cases travelling out of the community to nearby towns like Oleh and Ozoro in search of Network.
Fielding questions from news men, Comr. Emmanuel Agoma and Pastor Jacob Ighosylva expressed disappointment over the development saying that, “if MTN, GLO, ETISALAT or AIRTEL have put up a mast in place to serve the community in the past five years, Idheze town by now ought to have grown into a model town for others to emulate in the whole of Isoko South Local Government Area. Communication is paramount to business growth and general development in this 21st century where the world has become a global village through the use of cell phones.
On their part, Okwo Patrick, Samuel Ese, Ofuafo Charles, Umukoro Maxwell and Okunwa Raphael among others described the situation as a total set back to Idheze community in the areas of development. They ascribed the inability of some of the school staff to stay within the community to the absence of network services in the town just as indigenes resident abroad finds it difficult to communicate home and vice versa. Saying that this even affects their coming home frequently of which Olakpe Eloho concurred saying “the situation was so frustrating the last time I visited. I was completely cut off from the rest of the world”.
Meanwhile, Idheze Development Agenda( IDA), a Facebook advocacy group, having Emeleze Victor Onos as administrator had through Chris Ideh& Richard Ogbunubo disclosed that, efforts are in high gear to work out modalities in ensuring that, Nigerian Communications Commission and Network Providers of MTN, GLO, AIRTEL and ETISALAT are brought into the scene to save the situation.
It would be recall that, the President General of Idheze community, Mr. Richard Okogba had in his address during the last Annual General conference held in August 2014 assured the people that MTN and GLO will soon site their mast in the community. But four months and still counting there seems to be no signal of hope since that promise was made.
