Nelson Utip
The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene and save the riverine community of Forcados in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State from extinction through coastal erosion.
This was conveyed in a news briefing on Tuesday by The IYC Spokesman, Amb. Binebai Princewill, who described the ancient town as one of Nigeria’s earliest colonial administrative and commercial centres.
He admonished that the country risked losing an irreplaceable part of its history if urgent actions were not taken.
The organization said Forcados played a pivotal role in Nigeria’s colonial development long before the 1914 amalgamation, serving as a major maritime gateway linking Niger Delta with Europe and the wider Atlantic world.
The group said that the community is home to several historic monuments, including Forcados Windmill, Slave Wharf, Slave Dungeon, Seawall, colonial warehouses, dockyards, cemeteries and the Forcados Infectious Diseases Hospital, many of which have deteriorated due to years of neglect
IYC lamented that the collapse of the centuries-old seawall had left the community vulnerable to severe coastal erosion, threatening homes, livelihoods and priceless historical relics.
They decried lack of basic infrastructure in the oil-producing community, saying residents have continued to grapple with poor healthcare, inadequate potable water, unreliable electricity and insufficient shoreline protection despite Forcados’ contributions to Nigeria’s economy through oil and gas activities.
The group called on President Tinubu to declare the revival of Forcados a project of national importance through comprehensive shoreline protection, land reclamation, restoration of colonial monuments and massive infrastructural development.
It appealed to the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Niger Delta Development Commission, NNPC Limited, Delta State Government and other relevant agencies to collaborate in preserving the historic community and restoring its lost glory.
They emphasized that reviving Forcados was not only about infrastructure, but also about preserving one of Nigeria’s earliest colonial settlements and safeguarding a heritage of national and international significance.
The group said decisive intervention would not only rescue the community from extinction, but also position Forcados as a national heritage and tourism destination. They urged the Federal Government to take it as a matter of urgency.
