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Tag: erosion

  • Erosion: Oyo to benefit from European investment bank intervention

    Erosion: Oyo to benefit from European investment bank intervention

    Oyo State has been selected as one of the 23 beneficiaries of the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) intervention to tackle erosion and land degradation challenges in Nigeria. 

    The project falls under the Nigeria Climate Adaptation Erosion and Watershed Project (NEWMAP-EIB), which is supported by the European Union.

    Engr. Anda Yalaks, National Project Coordinator of NEWMAP-EIB, announced the news on Tuesday in Ibadan during a courtesy visit to Governor Seyi Makinde. 

    The visit was part of a scoping mission by the Federal Project Management Unit (FPMU) to assess Oyo State’s preparedness for the project’s implementation and disbursement.

    Engr. Yalaks explained that the federal government’s climate adaptation initiative aims to address land degradation in targeted sub-watersheds, improve livelihoods, and promote environmental resilience. 

    He added that the project, which involves 23 participating states, including Oyo, is part of efforts to ensure sustainable development and strengthen the state’s environmental capacity.

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    He commended Governor Makinde for his administration’s approval and release of N500 million as a counterpart fund, along with other key requirements that secured Oyo State’s inclusion in the EIB intervention.

    He said, “I’m happy to announce to you that Oyo state has met 100 percent legitimate criteria to attract the funding.”

    He confirmed that after conducting an assessment of the prioritized sites which are threat to lives and infrastructural development. 

    They are therefore considered as candidate sites in line with the conditions precedence of the EIB.

    Welcoming the FPMU delegation on behalf of the Governor, the Deputy Governor, Bayo Lawal highlighted some of the achievements of Governor Makinde in demonstrating the highest level of political will to tackle environmental challenges in the state.

    He expressed optimism about the project’s potential for success and assured the team of the state’s unwavering support. 

    “We are already on course and it is an irreversible course, we cannot go back, all the requests you have demanded from us as the state government, we will fulfil. We need to put more efforts in terms of making this partnership a workable one”, he added.

    Earlier in his remarks, the Commissioner for Environment and Natural Resources, Abdulmojeed Mogbonjubola commended Governor Makinde for his leadership quality in choosing the prioritized sites in Eruwa, Igbeti, Ibadan and most especially the gully erosion site within the Ladoke Akintola University (LAUTECH) Ogbomoso which is currently a threat to infrastructural development, added that the state is ready for full project implementation take off.

    Present at the visit were the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Dr. Sunday Ojelabi, State Project Coordinator, Tayo Ayoade and members of the State Project Management Unit of NEWMAP.

  • Reps urge resettlement of persons displaced by erosion, provision of relief materials 

    Reps urge resettlement of persons displaced by erosion, provision of relief materials 

    The House of Representatives has urged National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to ensure the resettlement of displaced residents in affected areas and provide relief materials.

    The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Roads and Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and Ecological Fund Office to urgently fund the construction of a new route that will link affected communities in each State across Nigeria.

    It further urged the Ecological Fund Office and NEMA to jointly agree and engage relevant experts to implement measures, such as slope stabilization, gabion installations, terracing, re-vegetation, and construction of loses, and minimize the risks to nearby infrastructure, communities.

    The Committee on Environment was mandated to conduct tour of the affected communities to access the damages and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

    These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled, “Need to Implement Safety Measures against Gully Erosion Menace in Nigeria” sponsored by Hon. Kolawole Davidson Akinlayo.

    The House noted that Section 14(2) (b) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) provides that the security, safety, and welfare of the people of Nigeria shall be the primary purpose of government.

    It also noted that the ravaging effect of the coastal erosion across the country has posed a significant threat to the security and livelihoods of many communities, highlighting the urgent need for government intervention and sustainable solutions to protect the citizens and their environment.

    The House said it was aware that the preservation, restoration, and maintenance of the ecological environment in local communities in Moba, Ilejemeje, and Ido-Osi Federal Constituency of Ekiti State is crucial for safe movement of goods and services

    It said it was also aware that the erosion tragedy could lead to the collapse of the entire rural agricultural economy in vital food-producing regions.

    The House was concerned about the threat of gully erosion and its devastating consequences on the livelihoods and safety of the indigenous people and residents of the country. 

    It said In addition, the problem of gully erosion has flooded a lot of structures, churches, farms, places of worship, schools, and football fields, and the roads are in a deplorable state.

    The House was also concerned that the issue of gully erosion poses a significant threat to the indigenous people of the communities, causing flooding of various structures, churches, farms, schools, and football fields further complicating the financial security of the people and displaced residents.

    It was further concerned that if quick action is not taken to avert the disaster, the consequences of severe flooding at the height of the rainy season could spark a looming danger and ultimately result in the deaths of well-meaning Nigerians due to erosion. 

    It said as a result, reclamation and shore protection measures must be put in place to address the threat to communities that could otherwise disappear.

  • FG commissions Pategi Erosion, Flood Control project

    FG commissions Pategi Erosion, Flood Control project

    The Federal Government has commissioned the Patigi Erosion and Flood Control Project, a significant milestone in the fight against environmental challenges in the region.

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume, represented by Minister of Youth Development, Dr. Jamila Bio Ibrahim, hailed the project as a testament to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government’s commitment to improving citizens’ lives.

    This was contained in a statement by the Director, Information & Public Relations at the Office of the Government of the Federation (OSGF), Segun Imohiosen. 

    “This Erosion and Flood Control Dyke provides a solution to this long-standing issue. A well-connected drainage system that offers a convenient network for water flow, ultimately emptying into the river. Thus, laying a solid foundation for the people of Patigi to build upon in terms of town planning and flood prevention. 

    “It will also have far-reaching impacts such as protecting critical healthcare infrastructure, ensuring that medical services remain accessible even during extreme weather events, as well as safeguarding homes and businesses and providing peace of mind to residents and entrepreneurs alike”, he said. 

    Read Also: ‘Tree planting ‘ll prevent erosion’

    Abubakar Yelwa, Managing Director, the National Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (N-HYPPADEC), commended the community for their collaboration in combating the devastating effects of the flood and erosion in the Town especially the General Hospital and its environs.

    He said the erosion and flood control drainage system consists of two sections spanning 0.75 kilometres with culverts and  0.325 kilometres of drains from various locations, designed to salvage the surrounding land by channelling runoff to the river.

    Executive Governor of Kwara State, H E Abdulrasaq Abdulrahman, represented by the State Commissioner for Environment, Hajia Nafisat Buge, thanked the commission for the laudable intervention. She urged members of the community to actively participate in the maintenance and upkeep of the infrastructure.

    Etsu Patigi, His Royal Highness, AlIbrahim Umar Bologi II in his heartfelt remarks urged people to maintain the project, adding that the government had done its part even as he appreciated the government and the N-HYPPADEC, saying, “We’ll continue to ask for more as we look forward to more projects”.

  • Erosion is washing us away, Kenan community cries out

    Erosion is washing us away, Kenan community cries out

    Indigenes of Kenan, an agrarian community in Sagbama Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have appealed to Governor Duoye Diri to rescue them from the problem of erosion which they said is currently washing the community away.

    They said 16 houses, the community market, which is the source of the community women’s livelihood, boreholes, and several lives had been lost during the erosion.

    Kenan is an oil-producing community, with the presence of Agip, which has been operating in the area for decades.

    Speaking with newsmen on the development, Chairman of the Community Development, Chief Okemena Adigheji, said the people had been experiencing serious erosion for the past three years.

    “As it is right now, there is no motorable road to my place which is a distance of about two kilometers.”

    He added that: “I have written to Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in Port-Harcourt, the community also discussed with the Deputy Governor of the State Sen. Lawrence Erwhrujakpo about how the erosion is washing away the community, and he confirmed to us that, to stop the erosion is an elephant project.

    “We discussed the issue of the erosion with the member representing Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency Hon. Fred Agbegi, he came to the community to see how the erosion has affected the community during the commissioning of the Community Primary Healthcare Centre.

    “If you move round the riverine area within the coastal line the erosion is affecting other communities but our own is more serious”.

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    He attributed the erosion problem to the dredging of the river some time ago. “We have been appealing to the Bayelsa State Government to come to do the piling of the river for us, especially during the tenure of Sen. Sariake Dickson the former Governor of Bayelsa State who is now the chairman Senate Committee on Ecological Control to come to our aid.”

    He said they had also made several appeals to those in authority on the issue and many others concerning the erosion, “but to no avail, nobody is giving the community a listening ear.

    “We are pleading and appealing to them to come and assist us, if not, we will all be washed away by the devastating erosion.”

    He admonished the people of Kenan to be strong, steadfast, and not to be discouraged, expressing optimism that God Almighty will listen to their cries.

    “The families who lost their loved ones and houses, I sympathize with them, God Almighty will make a way, and I encourage them to be strong.

    He also appealed to the sons and daughters of the community who are connected to the State and Federal Government not to relent in their effort to ensure the piling of the river.

  • Monarch, others seek Fed Govt’s intervention in erosion 

    Monarch, others seek Fed Govt’s intervention in erosion 

    • Over 50 indigenes rendered homeless

    The traditional ruler of Amakohia Autonomous Community in Ikeduru Local Government of Imo State, Eze Innocent Alaribe, has called on the Federal Government to intervene in the gully erosion in the villages in his area.

    He said over 50 indigenes of the community had been rendered homeless, including himself.

    He added that his palace had been abandoned by his cabinet chiefs and family members.

    “If I want to visit my palace, I will park my vehicle at a long distance and trek to the place. My subjects are afraid of even going there. We have cried out several times to the government, but nothing has happened. We will, however, continue to appeal to them to come to our aide,” Alaribe said.

    The President General of the community, Goddie Ukwu, who took reporters round the affected areas, lamented that the incident had forced many of the indigenes to desert their ancestral homes.

    He said the erosion had disconnected his community from its neighbours, making the cost of transportation in and outside the area very expensive.

    “We are going through hell in my community right now. Many homes have been abandoned because of erosion. This erosion can ‘swallow’ a two storey building. Three buildings have caved in and my people are leaving outside their homes.”

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    He expressed fear that the rains are coming and that the experience the people will go through to reach their homes will be tormenting because of the gullies.

    “The road is no longer accessible. Before we go in and out of here, it’s like a merry go round. Okada will take you through bush path that you will almost be afraid if you are a visitor that they want to kidnap you.”

    “Our school is daily losing students because parents are afraid to enrol their children in the school that is very close to the erosion site.

    “Look at the airport, it’s very close to us from here, yet very far because of the erosion that has divided us from our neighbouring communities. We appeal to the government once more to help us. It’s beyond us,” Ukwu said.

  • Erosion: Reps urge FG to declare state of emergency in Auchi, environs

    Erosion: Reps urge FG to declare state of emergency in Auchi, environs

    The House of Representatives on Thursday, October 5, raised concern over the erosion problem in Auchi, Edo state and it’s environ and asked the federal government to immediately declare a state of emergency in the area to provide holistic remediation in order to safeguard lives and properties.

    The House also asked the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to urgently intervene and reconstruct the bridge linking Iddo-Okugbe Communities with Awuyemi Community and Ayogwiri-Ogbona axis of the Auchi to Agenebode Federal Highway to allow immediate access by vehicles and commuters to other parts of the country. 

    The road linking Auchi and Agenebode was cut off by erosion leading to the youths creating an alternative route through which they now extort commuters. 

    Adopting a motion on notice sponsored by Hon. Anamero Dekeri, the House asked the Federal Ministry of Works to compel the Contractor handling the Auchi/Agenebode road project to resume work without delay. 

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    The House also asked the Rural Electrification Agency to replace the damaged electricity poles, wires and its other components; and reconnect the affected communities to the national grid. 

    Dekeri lament the increasing rate of environmental degradation in Etsako Federal Constituency due to rainstorm disasters and gully erosion destroying lives and properties, including farms lands and agricultural produce and rendering some places inaccessible. 

    He said the recent rainstorm disaster that affected Okpella in Etsako East Local Government Area, washed away the bridge connecting Iddo-Okugbe with Awuyemi leading to the Federal Highway, electricity poles and communication routes connecting parts of the State in the country. 

    He said further that “in Etsako West Local Government Area, there are several cases of gully erosion sites at different magnitudes posing significant danger to lives and properties. 

    The lawmaker said: ” In Ogwokhai community, Aibotse Hitage Zone, Osomeke and Oshiomhole Village, and along Aviele-Auchi Federal Highway by Osokwili Axis (Etsako West, State Constituency 1), from one side and on the other side (State Constituency 2) the Auchi to Agenebode Federal Highway has been cut off by a large gully at the Ayogwiri-Ogbona axis of the road, rendering vehicular movement from the Northern to Southern parts of the country through the route impassable”.

    He said there was the need to stem this ugly trend of environmental degradation in Etsako Federal Constituency, Edo State. 

  • Erosion: We’re afraid of sending our kids to school

    Achina, Onneh, Agbudu, Umuomaku, Ogboji and Enugwu-Umuonyia are communities under Amaiyi of Old Aguata Region of Anambra State, with serious gully erosion threats. Like many other communities in the state, the erosion menace in the area gradually assumed a frightening dimension rendering most roads in the area impassable. The affected communities, regrettably are mainly agrarian, producing majorly cassava, yam, rice and other food items.

    Predominantly peasant farmers, the locals lamented the difficulty they face exporting proceeds from the farms following the deplorable condition of the road. Some of the markets in the area are now ghost zones as gully erosion has sacked traders from their shops.

    Schools and churches are not left out of the scourge as roads leading to the schools have become death traps with pupils finding it difficult attending schools. Church attendance has also drastically dropped. Locals construct makeshift bridges to navigate the roads, including the ones leading to Ekwuluobia through Peter University, Achina and other adjoining communities, which have been torn by deep gully at different portions.

    The drainage constructed by past governments has been washed off, rendering some buildings along the road under serious threat, even as sand bags were used to protect the remaining portions of the road. Apparently fed up with the menace, members of the six communities, led by their youth leadership, took to the streets with placards to register their unpleasant experiences and displeasure with the government. They made a passionate appeal to the state government to come to their rescue, with particular reference to completing the construction of Achina-Onneh-Ogboji Road.

    According to them, the 7.3 km Achina-Onneh-Ogboji Road was awarded in 2014 by the present government. Those who spoke with The Nation, blamed the ugly development to the abandonment and uncompletion of road projects in the area. One of the residents, Mrs Christiana Okparanyim expressed disappointment over government’s neglect to the area despite the massive votes it got from the community.

    She said parents were always apprehensive that something unpleasant would happen to their children anytime it rained. She said, “Once it rains, we’re afraid allowing our children to go to school. Even those of us courageous enough to release theirs will be anxious until they return.

    ”You see some parents wait patiently at the erosion spots to ensure they cross their children over the gully with the assistance of the makeshift bridges.”

    According to the woman, residents have lost their property to the ravaging flood on several occasions, adding that it nearly swept away a little boy if not for intervention of passerby.”Once it’s election time, politians will start flooding this place, with bogus promises, asking for our votes. Once the elections are over, you won’t see them again.”

    A trader at Nkwo Ogbeh market Nkwelle Otu, Mrs Helen Ezechukwu, regretted that sales have drastically dropped, as people from neighboring communities no longer patronize them. Traders from Oye market used to come to Nkwo market to trade with us and we returned the gesture on Oye day. But since this road became bad,  the market has turned to ghost area as they have stopped coming,” she added.

    Another resident, Mrs. Chinelo Igwe, whose residence was along the eroding road, lamented the difficulty her children experienced in driving in and out of their residence ocassioned by the road’s deplorable condition.

  • Help! Erosion has almost finished us

    Residents of a community in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State are going through hell. No thanks to erosion, which has almost consumed their land. They are pleading for the attention of the authorities to save them from extinction, writes Bode Monogbe

    The residents of Owokodoro community, Ijebu-Ode, have cried to the state government for assistance over the gully erosion ravaging the community. According to the residents, the erosion has damaged properties and many have lost their lives.

    The erosion, which the residents claimed went out of control in year 2010, is scaring and disturbing. From investigations, the erosion, if not professionally handled, could wipe off the entire community soon.

    In an interview with The Nation, the Community Leader, Alhaji Adesanwo Maseka, said: “This gully you are seeing here was just a low-level erosion 10 years ago; no one thought it could turn to a life-threatening monster; it was shallow and little but today, it has killed more than seven property owners while others died of hypertension when the erosion unexpectedly pulled down their buildings.

    “Some were sleeping in the midnight when their buildings collapsed and died; some fell into the gully while trying to salvage their buildings;. The boy’s quarters of my house and the attached are gone, and as you can see, the one-storey main building is being threatened day-by-day and this is the only house I have left. As you can see, I am old already, my health is not sound, if this house collapses, God forbid but I might collapse,” Maseka said emotionally with tears.

    On steps that have been taken or being taken by the community to call the attention of the relevant authorities over the issue. Pastor Kunle Fajoye, a resident and Proprietor of Varsity Children Academy whose administrative offices have been destroyed by the gully, said there is no relevant authority that the community has not visited or petitioned in the last 10 years, all to no avail.

    “We have visited the Awujale of Ijebu Land, Oba Sikiru Adetona to intimate with our ordeal but nothing happened; we have been protesting to the Governor’s office in Abeokuta since year 2008, no response; many political office holders have visited us in solidarity, nothing was heard from them after winning elections. Three different Ogun State Commissioners for Works and Environment have been here, with no action taken.

    We have been petitioning the Ecological Office in the Presidency in Abuja severally down to this place since eight years ago, when the gully was not as deep and threatening as this. Look at my school, half of the school is gone; we are losing our investments; we didn’t build on waterways, we got government approval for this building.

    “We take this reckless abandonment as a declaration of war against us by government elected to make lives meaningful to us. We are dying, 10 land lords and 18 others have lost their lives in one way or the other to this miserable gully.” He said.

    He appealed to the media to come to their aide, saying very that the people of Owokodoro have lost hope in government. In his words, the educationist said “You people in the media are our last hope, please have mercy on us, help inform the world about our suffering and ordeal. The people of Owokodoro are suffering. We are being killed in a miserable manner, our properties are being destroyed,” Fajoye said.

    As I was leaving Owokodoro for Lagos, I ran into the entourage of the candidate of Social Democratic Party for Ijebu Central Federal Constituency, Adekunle Osibogun, who was visiting the area for consultation.

    The renowned Ijebu born legal practitioner expressed sadness when he saw the gully. He spoke like a valiant soldier: “I met Ijebu at the same level it was when I was leaving, which is pathetic; and this is one of the reasons for my joining the race to run for the House of Representatives. To cut the long story short, what I am seeing here is wickedness of the highest order against the citizenry; let me say very explicitly that if elected I will ensure that the Federal government ecological department is dragged down here to come to the aid of my people,” he said.

  • Erosion: Calabar community at the edge of the precipice

    Residents of Enima Omin Omin Community in Calabar, Cross River State have cried out to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and other relevant authorities to save them from an impending doom that may result from a failed road that was shoddily done by a contractor to who the contract for the road construction was awarded in 2014. NICHOLAS KALU reports that the community is on the edge of the precipice and may be cut off from other communities if nothing is done urgently.

    For residents of Enima Omin Omin Community in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, every minute they live in palpable fear of recording fatalities in their community due to haphazard road construction project carried out on their road.

    The contract for the project, it was gathered, was awarded in 2014 by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), but was abandoned by the contractor handling the project. In April this year, the community had to write to the NDDC to demand that the contract be terminated and awarded to a competent contractor.

    When Niger Delta Report visited the area, it was observed that a shoddy clearing, which had been abandoned, had left the road almost impassable. There are deep gullies dotting the landscape.

    To worsen the situation, the shoddy job had jeopardised the drainage system constructed by the community to manage flooding in the area, thereby leading to the rapid expansion of ravine. The houses are at the edge of the precipice. Again, members of the community may be cut off from their neighbouring communities because the expanding deep gullies may encroach to the road and cut it off.

    Chairman of the Enima Omin Omin Neigbourhood Association, David Edem, a lawyer, who narrated the community’s ordeal said: “Sometime in 2014, a contract for the construction of the Enima Omin Omin Road was awarded by NDDC. After a long time, the contractor never moved to site. The community had to write to NDDC asking that the contract be terminated and the project awarded to a more competent contractor. We wrote the letter in January this year. We were here in April when suddenly the contractor ran to site and began to clear the site for work to begin. When they started doing haphazard job after raising our hopes, we had to draw the attention of the NDDC to it.

    “After that they left, using the rain as subterfuge. Clearing the site by the contractor was the extreme error by the contractor as the action engendered the erosion and the gully sites. It has now opened up this place because virtually all water comes undirected to this ravine. You can see what is happening. Our electric pole was here, we had to relocate it. We spent almost N200, 000 relocating it so that it would not be submerged by the ravine.

    “We are in a terrible situation now because the contractor left the road much worse that it was. We are a community bonded in strength and unity of purpose. We used to have monthly contribution through which we manage our roads. Where we have challenges, we contribute; we make gutters and make it motorable for our residents. This was until the contractors came in and spoilt everything.

    “This has affected our lives so terribly; especially with this erosion site it has created, because if nothing is done and the contractor refuses to move to site and complete this job so that we can channel water properly, then by next rainy season, houses would be submerged by the yawning erosion site. People would be at risk. We were able to manage erosion in the community before the contractor messed up the whole thing through construction of culverts through which water passed through until when they now came to open up the entire area to allow water to flow freely from all angles into the ravine. Their coming destroyed everything and left us exposed to this danger.

    “They have left the road in a far worse state. When it rains most cars cannot even use the road. Before we had a mechanism, where we had people work on the roads. We bought chippings and poured on it.  The condition of the road was all right before they did the shoddy job which has exposed the road to ravine because of rain.

    “So, we are left worse off than we were. We had told them before they started the job to allow us to continue to manage and maintain the road as we have been doing if they were not going to complete the road project. They said they were going to work.

    If the contractor is unwilling to complete this job, they should bring in some other competent contractor.”

    A resident of the community, Mr Tony Takon, whose house is close to the ravine said it would not survive another rainy season.

    “Over time, we have noticed that the encroachment from the ravine getting worse every day. Luckily for us, the rains have subsided and its destruction of the road temporarily halted. But I don’t think we would be this lucky with another round of downpour if nothing is urgently done to ameliorate the horrible situation.

    “We are praying that some palliative measures should be taken as soon as possible to, at least, prevent our people from suffering continuously. All the while we were hoping that once the rain stops, the contractors would move to site again, but nothing has happened so far. We hope that the matter should be looked into by the appropriate authorities and do something fast.

    “For the ravine, we had created passage for the water but there is little the community can do. So there is no way to tackle this permanently without government’s intervention. What they have done has even jeopardised the community’s efforts because all the structures put in place have been dest

    royed. Even most of the electric poles had to be removed. Most of these destructions occurred in the night. One wakes up and notices that a huge chunk of the road has caved in. We really need something done as soon as possible,” Takon pleaded.

    Another resident, who also stays close to the ravine, Osinachi Mboku, said: “We are appealing to government to fix the road before the situation becomes a disaster. The contractors came and destroyed the road so government should come in and do something before people lose their lives.”

    A letter to the Director, State Office of the NDDC, signed by David Edem (Chairman), Mr Boniface Ekarika (Head Project) and Mr John Nandi (Treasurer), for the Enima Omin Omin Neigbourhood Association, said the contractor had “subjected the community to pain, anguish and agony in the last four years.”

  • ‘Erosion threatens Abia food supply’

    Residents of Isiukwuato, a major food-producing community in Abia State, are worried that soil erosion is wiping away their farmlands and may soon trigger food shortage in the state. They need urgent help from the state and federal government, reports SUNNY NWANKWO

    The people of Isiukwuato, Abia State, have called on the state and federal governments to come to their rescue as the impact of erosion menace in their local government is threatening everything.

    They fear that if nothing urgent is done to ameliorate the suffering of the people, the erosion which they said has done a lot of damage to their farmlands, costing them unquantifiable amounts of cash crops, would not only bring famine in the community, but the state at large. This is because many people from other parts of the state come to their community to buy agro produce which they take to the urban areas in the state.

    According to findings by our correspondent, the Isiukwuato erosion menace has lingered for a very long time as successive administrations did not address it.

    It was gathered that though the administration of former Governor Orji Uzor Kalu tried to draw the attention of the federal government to the erosion menace, the seeming disagreement between Kalu and then President Olusegun Obasanjo hindered the effort. It was alleged that the federal government “intentionally” kept mum over the plight of the people of Isiukwuato.

    Some respondents interviewed by our reporter including Mr. Fidelis Ogbonna and Mrs. Charity Gilbert said that the situation wouldn’t have been what it is today if the federal government had come to the aid of the local government when the situation had not gone out of hand.

    According to them, the people rejoiced sometime during President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’s regime when they sighted the presence of a construction company on the erosion site, but their joy was short-lived as the construction company suddenly went into oblivion.

    In a chat, information commissioner, Chief John Okiyi said, “This administration and others before it have repeatedly drawn the attention of the federal government to the bad state of the road and the threat posed to commuters, farmers and others by the ever expanding gully erosion, in the hope that the relevant agencies of the federal government will intervene to save our people from the trauma they face daily while using the road.

    “It is important to note that the scope of work required to fix that key stretch of road that connects our people to neighboring Imo and Ebonyi States, requires resources far above what the state government can muster currently.

    “We therefore call on relevant agencies of the federal government, including NDDC, Ministries of Environment and Works to immediately come to our rescue by performing their constitutional duty of care to the hardworking and peace loving people of Isuikwuato and Abia State through the declaration of the area and others in the state similarly threatened as ecological disaster zones requiring urgent critical intervention.

    “As a responsible government, we have made interventions to arrest the negative effects of rampaging gully erosions at Imenyi in Bende LGA, Abiriba roundabout in Ohafia LGA and Umuda Isingwu in Umuahia North LGA.

    “We are willing to work with the federal government and contribute in whatever way possible to tackle the challenge of gully erosion at Isuikwuato as well as other threats at Agu Eze Amaogudu Abiriba etc.

    “The state ministry of works is currently executing 3 road projects at Isuikwuato; Eluama Amilo Acha and Amino Otamkpa, Ovim-Acha and Ogboro-Amibo Acha roads, which are at various stages of completion.

    “Governor Ikpeazu has directed that an inter-ministerial committee, including works and environment, visit the area to assess what can be done by the state to ameliorate the problem posed by the rampaging gully.

    “We wish to call on other well-meaning Abians with cords to the federal government to consider the dangers posed to the common people of the area by this natural disaster and lend their voices to the call for an immediate intervention rather than the political point some desperately seek to make.

    “While we continue to work hard to fix as many key roads as possible within the state, we have never laid claims to fixing all the roads requiring attention in the state within the past 3 years. Yet it is undeniable that we have completed work on 67 roads and are working at more than 94 other road project sites across the state.

    “As our resource base expectedly improve, we will certainly do much more while also ensuring that we meet other needs of our people who have continued to support the Ikpeazu administration through various means.”

    However, following the directive of Governor Okezie Ikpeazu dispatching an inter-ministerial team to urgently visit the site of the gully erosion along Isuikwuato-Okigwe federal road, the state Ministry of Environment is set to commence remediation work at the site this weekend.

    This was revealed by the State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Aham Uko, in an interview with newsmen this evening in Umuahia.

    He said, “Our team of engineers has conducted a thorough evaluation of the Isuikwuato site today and we hope to commence the remediation this weekend”.

    Confirming the governor’s directives, when contacted, Okiyi expressed appreciation to the Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, for his prompt response to the situation along the federal road that links Abia State to Imo and Ebonyi States.

    In his words: “This administration is demonstrably focused on responding to the needs of the people of the state who graciously elected Dr Ikpeazu as their Governor and have supported him strongly. While we recognise that the primary responsibility of arresting the gully erosion is constitutionally that of the federal government, the state is ready to intervene to ensure that our people find safe passage way pending when help will come from relevant federal agencies.

    “During the last Niger Delta Council held in the State, we took officials of the federal ministry of Niger Delta to that site and pleaded for urgent intervention to save the road from total collapse. Sadly, the gully has progressed very fast and we now have a situation where vehicles cannot pass through that road.

    “As a responsible government, we cannot fold our hands and watch our people suffer while waiting for help from Abuja. We are set to undertake palliative work to remedy the situation while still pleading with the federal government to come to our aid by declaring that area and others threatened by rampaging gully erosion as ecological disaster zones with a view to deploying the resources of the country to deliver a permanent solution to the erosion menace at Isuikwuato and other locations in the state,” he concluded.