See Photos of Nigeria’s ‘Jerusalem’

Editor’s note: Naij contributor Pelu Awofeso takes us on a journey to Yenagoa, Bayelsa state, where he not only shows us the ‘monkey bridges’ but discusses the issue of flooding in the city and how important it is for the state government to address it.

Monkey bridge somewhere in Amarata.

During my recent visit to Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa state, I walked to my host’s apartment, somewhere off the Melford Okilo Road, on a slim stretch of planks supported by several wooden ‘legs’ drilled into the pool of stagnant water underneath. I almost tripped.

“We call them monkey bridges,” Onome said after I had settled in and we started to chat. “If you live here long enough you will learn to use them better, even in the dark. That’s how many residents get to their homes in these parts.”

Almost every inch of the Melford Okilo Road is a turn off. A lack of proper developmental planning is evident on both sides, complemented by a clutter of rowdy business activity on both sides.

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A few days later, I had cause to go to the Amarata area, a 10-minute ride by local transport from Biogbolo, and my eye caught yet another house at the end of a longer, wider stretch of monkey-bridge; this one was much higher up from the ground — at least 15 feet approximately — and one would have to climb a flight of stairs to get on it. I had my heart in my mouth as I picked one unsure step after the other on three columns of weakened wood, afraid that one might give way and I would drop into the brackish pool below.

“I am trying to replace some of the old wood,” said Moses who lives in the apartment with his family. “I have only been here for three years but the wood on the bridge have been there for more than five years, so they are worn out. I have only just replaced the middle section, which is better to walk on.”

Moses’ apartment is also made of wood, sits on wooden floors and is on the edge of a vast swamp that grows thicker with distance. The bungalow nearby is partly submerged and abandoned.

Monkey bridge in Biogbolo

“The flood is still coming,” Moses said, swallowing a ball of garri and adjusting slightly on his seat. “Once it comes, it will be covered right up to its roof. That is why our monkey-bridge is as high as it is.”

Moses’ wife was seated to his left and petting the couple’s four-month old child. As I prepared to leave, I wondered how they coped with mosquitoes, which thrived in such environments.

“There are lots of them, my brother, but what can we do,” she said.

READ ALSO: Flood Alert: 10 Local Governments At Risk – Agency Warns

“What all these waterlogged places need is proper drainage channel,” Felix, a resident I met on Church Street told me as our paths crossed on the monkey bridge. “If they do these, we won’t need to use these bridges. But no-one is willing to do it.”

By ‘no-one’ and ‘they’, Felix was referring to the politicians who have managed the state since it was created nearly 20 years ago. Most of the people I talked to expressed a dislike for the incumbent governor, Rt. Hon. Seriake Dickson, who is eyeing a second term in office.

“Nobody wants him back, but there are no better options really,” one undergraduate told me.

But the air in Yenagoa is thick with campaign messages, all drumming support for the man known as the ‘talk na do governor’. The office of the chief press secretary sponsors a Letter To My Country People segment on breakfast radio, which is broadcast on weekday mornings; the letters highlight a long list of achievements of the administration — from culture to sports — since taking the reins almost four years ago.

On September 8, Dickson formally announced that he would run in the next elections, which will hold in December. In a radio advertorial, he described Bayelsa State as the “Jerusalem of our people”, urging potential voters to maintain the peace and help him secure a win at the polls.

READ ALSO: Bayelsa Governorship: Why Sylva Clashes With APC Chairman, Supporters

On the eve of my departure, I visited a colleague who favoured a Dickson victory, but who also pointed out the governor’s undoing.

“His only problem is that he tried to take on too many projects in his first term, much like a toddler trying to finish a bucket of ice-cream in a hurry,” he said. “That’s why there are so many uncompleted projects in the state. If he wins, he might be able to complete many of them.”  

If I had the governor’s ear, or whichever candidate wins in December, I would ask him to devote more time to solving Yenagoa’s flood challenge — they are clearly a health risk to the masses.

Besides, a city like Yenagoa, which the government hails as an emerging tourism El-Dorado, will not impress any tourist with its string of unsightly monkey bridges.

READ ALSO: 7 Awful Daily Habits That Are Killing The Environment

Pelu Awofeso for Naij.com

Pelu Awofeso is a winner of the CNN/ Multichoice African Journalist Awards for tourism reporting. He has published three books based on his travels around Nigeria.

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