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Tag: erosion

  • Tears and death as Anambra erosion crisis eats deeper

    Tears and death as Anambra erosion crisis eats deeper

    Anambra State, a geo-political entity with 4,844 square kilometers, has over 950 erosion sites, a menace that has caused several deaths and destruction of homes and properties over the years. Nwanosike Onu, who visited the sites, report that the devastation is so severe now that some affected citizens are relocating to other communities

    Erosion menace has continued to keep both the present and successive administrations in Anambra State on their toes.

    Most of the communities had been cut-off from their neighbours in the state as palliative measures by the villages and the government had not paid-off.

    In 2013, a team of World Bank delegates came to the state and declared Anambra the worst erosion hit in the entire West Africa during the Mr. Peter Obi administration.

    Also, some National Assembly members had visited the state to see for themselves the damage erosion has done in the state.

    One of such committees from the senate was led by Barnabas Gemade and Uche Ekwunife, before she was removed by the Court of Appeal on December 7, 2015.

    Virtually all the 177 communities in the state are affected by erosion forcing the state government and individuals to call on the federal government to declare the state a disaster area.

    In Oko community, Orumba North Local Government Area, the house of the former Vice President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, is under threat by erosion, while the federal polytechnic in the area has not fared better.

    Some of the worst hit communities are Nanka, Umuchu, Ekwulobia, Agulu, Onitsha, Oko, Akwu-Ukwu, Nri, Uli, Okija, Enugwu-Ukwu, Ogidi, Nawfia, Enugwu-Agidi, Nkpor, Obosi, Umuoji, Nnewi-ichi, among others.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Anambra State Coordinator, Environment-Watch, Comrade Osita Obi, said if nothing is done by the federal government and international agencies, soon the state would be wiped out.

    Obi, who wept while speaking, said the state government, under Governor Willie Obiano, has not fared well in tackling the menace. For him, more efforts should be put in the project.

    The human rights activist did not stop there; he said some of the palliative measures put in place in some of the communities were done by the people of those areas and not the government.

    Anambra State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon. Rita Maduagwu, had recently; told The Nation that she was worried with the rate erosion is ravaging the state in almost all the communities.

    She said in Ukpor, Nnewi South constituency of hers’, erosion had taken some of the villages not to talk of the entire Nnewi South Local Government Area.

    However, she deferred with the activist Obi, saying that the Obiano administration had done well in tackling the menace in all the communities in the state, despite the lean resources of the state.

    Another lawmaker, Dr. Timothy Ifedioramma, representing Njikoka I Constituency had raised the same alarm, adding that Obiano had been using the little resources in his position to curb the monster.

    Ifedioramma, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Pilgrims and Religious Affairs, told The Nation that erosion menace in Anambra was becoming embarrassing to the people.

    He said the communities had lost property worth billions of naira, including their buildings and farm produce.

    In some of the communities, buildings had been swallowed by erosion, while few others had lost their lives as a result.

    For Esther Igwilo, a woman leader in Ekwulobia, Aguata Local Government Area of the state, the tragedy of gully erosion is that, its impact is usually so colossal that it is almost impossible for any state, no matter how rich, to tackle it alone.

    Obiano, had forth nights ago, raised the alarm that if nothing was done by the federal government and the international community, the state is likely to be wiped out in no distant time.

    The state with 4,844 square kilometers, Obiano said, has over 950 erosion sites in it, the reason he wants the federal government to declare it ecologically endangered state.

    According to him, “in truth, no other state in Nigeria has been ravaged by erosion on the same scale as Anambra.”

    “If the images that we generated from our ariel photography are anything to go by, then the world must come to our rescue before it is too late.

    “Indeed, we are raising this alarm in the hope that the attentive world will give Anambra State a chance to survive as a geo-political entity that deserves its continuous membership of the human race.”

    However, he acknowledged the series of interventions by the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) and the great assistance the state had received from the World Bank in fending off the menace.

    “It is very clear from the gravity of the erosion that the state alone cannot handle the project with its meager resource because it will run into billions of naira.”

    The governor however advised Ndi Anambra to bear with the state while it persuades the federal government to come to its aid and save the people from imminent danger to road users as well as lives and property in the areas.

    A philanthropist who has sponsored palliative efforts in some communities in the state, especially in Umuchu, Aguata Local Government Area, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo, has lamented that the state is in serious trouble.

    Some of the industries sited by the man in the community are currently threatened by erosion, while he has been calling on the government to help in saving some souls.

    “The people are suffering in Anambra because of erosion problems, even the rural women and men are in agony and pains and some of the roads have been cut off, the situation is unbearable,” Ezeemo told The Nation.

    The people of Ekwusigo Local Government Area are in deep sorrow and pains, following the invasion of the area by erosion that has claimed many buildings.

    Not only that, two brothers in Urumabiam Community in Ozubulu, Ignatius Igwemadu and the sibling were said to have died as a result.

    Many buildings are on the threat of being submerged by the same menace; residents are now crying their hearts out beckoning on the Anambra State Government and donor agencies to come to their aid.

    Also, a former House of Assembly member representing the area, Hon. Paully Onyeka, who was in tears when he visited the communities, told The Nation that his people are in serious trouble.

    74 year old Ichie Ezekwem Ezeana said Ihembosi community alone has about 14 erosion sites.

    According to him, ‘’ I cannot say that our government is a listening one, otherwise, it would have noticed the devastation in this area.

    ‘’We don’t want to lose more lives before they come; they should come and help us; we are dying in Ekwusigo,” he said.

    When The Nation visited the Ibolo erosion site in Oraifite, a mansion erected by 76 year old Pa Onyejiaka Anazodo is at the verge of being submerged if nothing urgent is done within this period.

    Already, the fence has been consumed by the erosion while the septuagenarian Anazodo is in tears as, according to him, ‘’if the menace finally takes my building, I do not have any place to run to with my family.’’

    According to the old man, the traditional ruler of the place, Igwe Daniel Udoji, had severally made representations to the state government, all to no avail.

    The erosion problem began in the area in 1996, but according to Chukwulobe Ifeanyi, another indigene from the area, it was escalated by Consolidated Construction Company (CCC) when it was working on the Onitsha-Owerri road.

    Also, at Uruokpalamilo village in Ozubulu, the erosion has consumed the building of one Gabriel Asuzu. The site alone is believed to be the longest erosion site in the entire West Africa.

    The building of Ikechukwu Asuzu is also at the verge of being swallowed by the erosion that measures about four kilometers.

    According to 56 year old Madam Catherine Mbaonu, it began about 15 years ago and since then, no help has come from any quarter to the people.

    Another indigene of Ozubulu, Anaeto Echezona, told The Nation that the people of the area are not safe anymore, adding that some people have started relocating to other communities.

  • Erosion nightmare in Anambra

    Erosion nightmare in Anambra

    The threat of erosion in the Southeast, unattended to for decades, gets worse in Anambra State, reports NWANOSIKE ONU

    Life, property and virtually everything the people cherish are in danger in a community in Anambra State. Roads are threatened as much as bridges, farmlands and homes. The people of Ezira in Orumba South Local Government Area hardly sleep as a result of erosion.

    Many communities in the Southeast and Southsouth have been sacked by this monster, while governments at different levels have done pretty little to salvage the situation.

    Anambra was some years ago declared the worst erosion-hit state by the World Bank with over 1,000 gullies.

    Some of the affected communities are Agulu, Nnewi, Nanka, Ekwulobia, Onitsha North, Awka North and South, Oko, Ozubulu, Isuofia and Igboukwu, among others.

    Now, Ezira, an agrarian community made up of three villages namely, Ubaha, Obotu and Umuohia-Oki has joined the fray.

    The community produces yam, cassava, beans, plantains, okra and vegetables in large quantities but lacks access roads to evacuate them to major cities because of the erosion challenge.

    One of the community roads, a 7km stretch spanning Eke-Ezira Market, Uga and Ekwulobia through Onne, Agbudu, Umuchu and Achina communities, has been cut off.

    The two major bridges of Aghomili and Omumu that link those areas have equally collapsed.

    The residents of this sleepy community are in agony, saying they have been abandoned by  government.

    Some help has come. A philanthropist in the state, Mr. Godwin Ezeemo gave out N500,000 to the Ezira people, a gesture he described as his own widow’s mite.

    The chairman of Ubaha Ezira, Mr. Jude Umunna told The Nation that the community had sent save our soul (SOS) calls to the state government without any response so far.

    He commended Ezeemo for the cash donation to the community, adding that the community had already started some palliative work on one of their roads with their meager resources to make it passable.

    Umunna said, “It’s now the rainy season and tropical rains will continue to dump on the road till September or October, digging more ditches and causing more harm to the community.”

    “Our greatest regret is that our governor flagged off the road in March last year during the House of Assembly election.

    “He brought in caterpillars and bulldozers which motivated our people to vote massively for his party, APGA, but surprisingly, he removed those machines two days after the election till today.

    “Now, look at the problem we are facing to evacuate our farm produce and Ezira is one of the food baskets of the state.

    “We are therefore calling on the government at all levels to assist us as Ezeemo, an individual, cannot do it alone; let government come to our aid.”

    Another community leader, Ichie Christopher Mbah regretted that the bad condition of the area has stopped people in the cities and other communities from coming to Ezira to buy farm produce.

    “Hunger is really dealing with us,” he said. “We cannot sell our produce to buy others that we do not produce; if not for the intervention of Ezeemo, I do not know what our fate would have been.”

    Also, Mrs. Nwano Rosaline and Susan Okeke, while commending Ezeemo, said access road and palliative measures in controlling the gully erosion are the basic needs of the community.

    On the importance of the road, Mr. Linus Okeke, reminded Governor Willie Obiano of his agricultural programme for the state, which he said topped his four pillars of development.

    He wondered how it would be realized with the condition of such roads in most of the rural communities said to be the food baskets of the state.

    According to him, “There is no incident of crime and criminality in Ezira and its environs because we are all farmers and our youths are serious with agriculture but lack of access roads to evacuate these products may make them lazy and so may resort to crime and that is why we are calling on the governor to come and help us”

    Speaking with the reporter, Ezeemo said he was motivated to make the donation because that road led to his primary school when he was growing up, and also to the local market where his late mother went to buy food items.

    He said, “So when I asked after the market, I was told that erosion had eaten off the road. I want to bring back the old memories of the area and again, I equally have a farmland that is about 2,900 plots in Ezira and Umuomaku communities.”

     

  • Gully erosion: Edo community on the verge of extinction 

    Ihinmwin Community in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State is one of the oldest communities in Benin Kingdom. The community is almost as old as the ancient kingdom and it is separated from Benin City, the headquarters of ancient Benin Empire and present capital of Edo State by the Benin Moat.

    Ihinmwin had good road network and they are well paved but over the last few years they have become impassable.

    The only road tarred in Ihinmwin is the Saint Saviour Road and a good part of the road has been washed away over the years. Other roads leading to Upper Sokponba and the Ikpoba River are hell for residents, especially during the rains.

    Besides the poor state of the roads, Ihinmwin, according to the residents, lacked basic amenities such as health centre and water supply. There are two primary schools and one secondary school in community. Sadly, only one of the primary schools was given facelift as part of the ‘Red Roof’ education revolution of the Governor Adams Oshiomhole administration in the state

    A gully that reared its ugly head in 2006 near the Ikpoba River axis has expanded to an unimaginable level and has swallowed over 30 houses during the past nine years, forcing landlords in some areas to flee. About five streets in Ihinmwin are gradually being swallowed by the gully.

    An 11 kilometers road project by the Niger Delta Development Commission in the area has since been abandoned. Another NDDC project that gulped millions of naira failed to solve flooding and erosion problems in a large part of Ihinmwin.

    Mr Roland Okhuarobo, whose house is close to one of the erosion sites, said he decided to remain in the house even though other members of his family have fled. Roland said the gully in front of house started four years ago after flood water was directed to the area.

    His words, “I have lived here for almost 25 years, the gully started about four years ago. We cannot do anything about it. People owned these houses but erosion has driven them away. There is nothing I can do. My children have fled but I have nowhere to go. If the government can come and help we will be happy.

    “There was no hole here. Flood water was directed to this area and that was how it started.”

    Dr. Iyare Odede said residents have been begging relevant authorities to help them find solution to the problem in order to avert a situation where landlords in the area become tenants in order parts of the state.

    “We are begging the state government to come and help us. We cannot drive our cars out. Whenever it rains, we keep our children inside to avoid them being swept away.”

    Odionwere of Wire road, Augustine Ikponmwosa, said there was nothing like government presence in Ihinmwin adding, “There are no good roads, water, health care services”.

    “The land we preserved for the health centre is still there. I was the chairman of Ihinmwin Committee; we built the primary school with our money including the market. We did it with our money. There is no benefit from the government. We want the present government to look into our affairs. The only secondary school is not well maintained. There are no chairs and the buildings have started collapsing.”

    Traditional ruler (Enogie) of Ihinmwin, His Royal Highness Osabuohien Ogiemwenken, said he was taken aback at the widening dimension the gully has taken since the last time he visited the site.

    He said: “In 2003, we went there and saw that it was about 30 feet deep and five feet long. We had a meeting to see what we can do. It was not as bad as this.”

    “I believe it was caused by a sink hole. It was not somebody that went there to excavate sand but there is so much flood in that area. That flood might have contributed to the new development.

    “There have been lots of ups and downs. A commissioner for environment said it was a man-made gully but we made him to understand that it was not like that but there has not been response from the state government at all.

    “There is not enough government presence in the whole of Ikpoba-Okha not to talk of Ihinmwin. For some reasons, the present administration has not taken it as a priority. Its focus has been in Oredo and other local governments. The state is not interested in doing anything here in terms of roads and even schools. Most schools here were not renovated by the state government. We have not felt the impact of the state government.”

  • Community seek help against erosion

    Community seek help against erosion

    Residents of Umuawulu in Awka South local government area of Anambra State have cried out to Governor Willie Obiano to rescue them from the erosion that is threatening to swallow them.

    The only bridge linking Umuawulu to other communities is about to collapse.

    A human rights activist, Comrade Osita Obi blamed the government for abandoning its responsibilities.

    Another resident, Mrs. Esther Okafor said the people were like outcasts in their own land as no help was coming from the government.

    A community leader, Joshua Nwafor, said: “We now live in fear in our own community because nobody knows what may happen when rain falls, which has become a daily ritual now.

    “We do not send our children on errands again, and worst still, the people in government, who come to canvass for votes, have abandoned us.

    “They say we are in a democracy but we have not witnessed the dividends. The bridge former Governor Peter Obi built at Amaokpala will be a waste as nobody will ply that route because of this problem.”

    However, Commissioner for Environment Chinwe Nwaebili said the government was not keeping quiet as work had started on some of the sites.

    She said of the 15 sites mapped out, work was ongoing on four, while work would commence on others soon.

    Some of the sites where she said work had started included Omagba in Onitsha, Umuchu in Aguata council and Ebenebe.

    Her words: “The government cannot do it alone; we need help from the Federal Government and other donor agencies to tackle erosion.

    “I wept when I visited Nnewi, Uga and Abagana. The problem affects many communities, but the government is trying its best with its lean resources. Rome was not built in a day.

    “The World Bank-assisted projects had started in Amachalla, Omagba in Onitsha, and other communities; hopefully, with help from the Federal Government and other donor agencies, we will get somewhere.

    “Honestly, Anambra cannot handle these problems alone because we have no money; we need funds from the Federal Government, World Bank and other agencies to surmount these erosion problems.”

  • Ebonyi, Fed Govt fight erosion

    Ebonyi, Fed Govt fight erosion

    Ebonyi State and the Federal Government have teamed up to tackle erosion, perhaps the worst environmental threat in the region.

    The collaboration is considered a strong step forward by the Dave Umahi administration because erosion ravages most parts of the state, especially Afikpo North, Afikpo South and Ohaozara local government areas.

    Recently, a joint ecological survey was undertaken to ascertain the level of the problem with a view to tackling it. This is reflective of the need for the federal government to immediately intervene, so as to avert further destruction of private and government properties and loss of life resulting from the negative impact of this natural disaster.

    The devastation caused by gully erosion in the council areas were made explicit as officials from the Presidency, Ecological Fund Office alongside state officials took a tour of affected locations in the state.

    This ecological challenge affected roads, bridges and houses among others in the areas visited.

    •One of the erosion visited
    •One of the erosion visited

    The areas include Ogwuma Edda, Mgborokum Road in Ekoli Edda, Omanwu Ezieku Road in Ekoli Edda, Isiofu, Ekoli Okagwe Road, Achiogba Waterfall in Ekoli Edda, Libolo Erei Road, Old Council Secretariat in Nguzu Edda among others in Afikpo South Local Government Area.

    Also, in Afikpo North LGA, the team saw the impact of gully erosion at Amangbala, Eke Market Road opposite Zenith and Eco Bank, Amasiri, among others.

    Speaking with The Nation, the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Afikpo South Local Government Area, Mr. Eni Uduma Chima who appreciated the effort of the present administration toward involving the Presidency in the eradication of gully erosion in the state, revealed that 15 sites in Afikpo South were identified by the Ecological Fund Office, Abuja.

    The council boss who explained that the biggest site of gully erosion was the former location of the council headquarters added that the natural disaster had forced people in the area to relocate to erosion-free zones within the council area.

    “We have 15 gully erosion sites and the biggest was the former location of Afikpo South council headquarters. This natural disaster forced the council headquarters with six other buildings to be relocated to a new site. Governor Dave Umahi has been active and responsive to the need of the people of the state and that was what led to the arrival of those from the Presidency to handle issues of gully erosion in the LGAs.

    “Six roads leading within and outside the Council area are in a bad condition following the impact of gully erosion as the state government had made serious effort to ensure that it is tackled without delay. We sent photos and video clip of the devastating impact of gully erosion in the council area and today officials from the Presidency are here to carry out an on the spot assessment, so as to provide lasting solution to the problem”.

    Mr Eni lauded the efforts of the state government for getting the federal government involved.

    “This shows that the governor really loves the people of Afikpo and cares about their welfare. We have no doubt that the partnership between the state government led by Engr. Dave Umahi and the FG led by President Buhari will lead to the control of this erosion scourge”

    His counterpart, Caretaker Committee Chairman of Afikpo North LGA. Mr. Oko-Enyim stressed that all hands must be on deck to tackled incidences of gully erosion throughout the state.

    He commended both the state and federal government for the timely intervention adding that his council area was going through the challenge of gully erosion for quite a long time.

     

  • The rage of erosion in Imo

    The rage of erosion in Imo

    Many residents watch the earth move, pulling down homes, cutting off roads and leaving them in  despair.   OKODILI NDIDI reports on the ravages of erosion in Imo State 

    It sometimes looks like a horror movie in slow motion. Right before their eyes, roads and farmlands are being washed away. Some communities are  being cut off, houses buried in red earth. In some places, residents of threatened homes peer down in horror on the huge gulf created by that seven-letter word: erosion.

    Most communities in Imo State are coping rather badly with the phenomenon. Displaced residents have been suking, unsure when the terror will end.

    Their pain has been compounded by the increasing rainfall that has resulted in flooding and the creation of gully erosion that has eaten away the already deplorable roads.

    Worst hit, are the residents of Ihiagwa, Old Nekede and Umudibia.

    Coincidentally, the affected communities all in Owerri West Local Government Area are hosts to two Federal institutions in the state, Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) and the Federal Polytechnic, Nekede.

    The Nekede-Ihiagwa Road, for instance, can best be described as a disaster waiting to happen as residents and motorists plying the road are exposed to great danger; the  road may cave in anytime  without warning.

    This obvious risk has compelled staff and students of the tertiary institutions to abandon their cars at home and engage the services of commercial motorcyclists at exorbitant fares.

    Hoodlums have also cashed in on this situation to torment residents and road users alike as they now lay ambush at these points where they pounce on their victims and dispossess them of their valuables.

    Recently, a Reverend Father, who was also a lecturer at the Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, was murdered at one of the erosion points  by gunmen who laid ambush there. Some others have taken it upon themselves to mend the potholes and equally demand for money from the motorists.

    Piqued by the development and the continued neglect of the roads by the relevant authorities, students of the two federal institutions are now threatening to embark on protest to draw attention of government to their plight.

    The traditional ruler of Umudibia Autonomous community, Eze Godwin Merenini, appealed to government to come to the aid of the residents as economic and social activities have collapsed in the community as a result of the bad roads.

    The obviously disturbed monarch, lamented that indigenes who go to Owerri, the State capital for their businesses now spend more than an hour going through Ihiagwa via Obinze instead of 20 minutes it normally takes from Nekede to Owerri.

    Motorists and tricycle operators plying the road are equally counting their losses as they meander through the borough created by the erosion to take their passengers to their respective destinations.

    At the old Nekede road, tricycle operators have to intermittently drop their passengers who will cross to the other section of the road on foot before they commence their journey.

    Indigenes of the community complained that they now live in constant fear as the fast expanding erosion is endangering most houses along the road which they fear may cave in when the people are asleep in the night.

    The residents disclosed that all the entreaties to the state government to come to their aid and tackle the menace had gone unheeded.

    They appealed to both the state and Federal Government to urgently tackle the erosion, imploring that the road is the only link between the community and the state capital.

    Also the residents in Ndegwu, Irete and Orogwe have resigned to fate as they watch helplessly while erosion wreck havoc on their roads, houses and farmlands.  For instance, the only road leading to Ndegwu, a sleepy agrarian community has been totally submerged by flood. The residents wade through the waist deep water to take their children to school and ferry their farm produce to the market.

    One of the residents, Mr. Stanley Uzoadu, observed that the road became worse after the contractor handling the critical link road which connects the three communities abandoned it after excavating the both sides of the road.

    According to him, “we are exposed to serious danger crossing the water and the rate of water borne diseases have increased in the last two months. We are appealing to the state government to carry out a palliative maintenance on the road to avert the impending disaster”.

    Public institutions like schools and markets are also not spared by the rampaging erosion. Several school buildings have been reportedly abandoned for fear of possible collapse as a result of the erosion.

    A highly placed government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the erosion menace became worse because the state have not been able to access the Ecological fund in the last four years due to politically motivated bottlenecks.

  • Erosion: Senators seek probe of ecological fund

    Senators have urged the Federal Government to investigate the Ecological Fund.

    The Senate had asked the Ecological Fund Office to visit communities devastated by erosion in Anambra State and put up measures to remedy critical cases.

    It called on the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials and support to the victims.

    The Ad hoc Committee on Works was madated to visit the affected communities and assess the damage to give the problem the attention it deserves.

    The resolutions were sequel to a motion by Uche Ekwunife, representing Anambra Central, titled: “Flood and Erosion Disaster in Awka, Isuanaocho, Obosi and other communities of Anambra Central”.

    Ekwunife lamented that flood and erosion had damaged places, such as Awka, Abatete, Isuanaocho, Obosi and other communities in Anambra Central.

    She noted that the flood left many families bereaved and homeless.

    According to her, “the rain of Tuesday, July 28, was more devastating, as over 30 residential buildings were destroyed while many school buildings were brought down; farmlands were washed away and roads were cut off”.

    She said the victims were yet to receive assistance from the Federal Government while displaced persons had sought safety in neighbouring communities.

    Her words: “About 10 communities, including Ogidi, Abate and others, have been ravaged by erosion, landslide and flood within the last three weeks. The families are yet to get support from the Federal Government”.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who seconded the motion, observed that there was a general ecological challenge confronting the country.

    He warned that if the situation was not addressed, the northern part of the country would be overtaken by desertification and the southern part swept away by erosion.

    “The erosion in Anambra State has washed away churches, schools and farmlands among others. We should take this issue seriously.

    “Let us investigate how Ecological Fund was spent over the years to ensure that the target is met”.

    Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun Central) noted that the Ecological Fund was set up to tackle ecological problems but the goal had not been met.

    He called for a thorough investigation of its application over the years.

    Mao Ohuabunwa said most of the environmental problems were caused by erosion.

    He said: “Farmlands, schools and churches have been washed away. We must look at this challenge and address it. NEMA should wake up and be proactive; they must do their job. Let us look at the ecological fund office to enable them apply funds allocated to them for specific purposes”.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki said erosion problems are common across the country.

    “I hope this Senate tackles it. There are funds meant for ecological challenge but unfortunately, it has been mismanaged. I commend the mover of this motion. As a Senate, we must address areas affected urgently and create ways to address future occurrences,” Saraki said.

  • ‘Erosion threatening Uzuakoli-Ohafia Road’

    A member of the Abia House of Assembly, Mr Chibuzo Okogbuo has raised the alarm over the threat to the Uzuakoli-Ohafia Road as a result of gully erosion at Lohum.

    Briefing reporters on the phenomenon in his office, Okogbuo said that the erosion will cut off the road if urgent steps are not taken to check it.

    He called on the federal and state governments to take urgent steps to check the gully erosion to avert imminent danger and possible loss of lives on the road.

    He said that the erosion site in Lohum in Bende Local Government Area posed a serious threat to the lives of motorists plying the road, saying that the gully erosion had become a death trap.

    “My worry is that the deep gully, if not urgently tackled, may claim lives,” he said, and appealed to the relevant government agencies to initiate measures to check further deterioration at the site.

    “I wish to use this opportunity to appeal to the state and federal road maintenance agencies to quickly intervene to save the road from total collapse.’’

    The lawmaker described the road as very important, adding that it linked all the local government areas in Abia North senatorial zone.

    “This is the only good road that connects Umuahia to Ohafia so it will become a nightmare to travel to Ohafia from Umuahia if it is cut off,’’ he said.

    Okogbuo described gully as the major problem facing the entire local government area, saying that the Lohum-Isukwuato road, Itumbuzor-Ntalakwu road, Obibia-Bende road and Mkpa-Lohum road, among others, were also under the threat of erosion.

    “I know that there is an ecological fund for such problems, so I appeal to the state and federal governments to come to our aide,” he said.

     

  • Erosion rehab project takes off in Enugu

    Erosion rehab project takes off in Enugu

    The World Bank-assisted Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project (NEWMAP) has inaugurated the control of Ajali water works gully erosion estimated to gulp over N250m.

    The 8km-stretch erosion site is the second to be awarded among the 25 selected sites that NEWMAP penciled down for remedy in the state.

    Handing over the site to the contractor at Nsude in Udi Local Government Area, the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Nnaemeka Chukwuone said that the state government has approved a counterpart fund of N150m out of the N700m expected from the state to supplement the execution of the entire NEWMAP projects.

    The commissioner said that it was not only the engineering works of the erosion management that would be executed but also a sustainable munching of the site, planted with economic trees that would avert further degradation of the area.

    Chukwuone noted that the project was dear to the state government because of the location of the water works from where pipe borne water was retriculated to Enugu metropolis.ý

    Traditional ruler of the affected community, Igwe (Prof.) Kenneth Onyia, who mobilized his subjects to the site expressed gratitude to the funding partners especially to Governor Sullivan Chime for extending the benefits of the administration to his community.

    He alerted that another degradation the Okpuno erosion site starting from the head water of Nyaba river located in his community, has now got to Okpuno village and poses more danger to his people than the Ajali erosion site.

    “The 21 boreholes that used to supply water to Enugu and Nsude are located just down here and forms part of this Ajali erosion site.

    “Part of the reason why they have not been functional for over 15 years now is due to erosion at the site. So we’ve been buying tanker water ever since. Erosion is a big problem in Nsude,” lamented the monarch.

    Managing Director of the contracting firm, Engr. Frank Nnaji promised to remedy the erosion site and expressed gratitude for being chosen to execute the job.

     

  • Don laments erosion of varsity culture

    Don laments erosion of varsity culture

    The Deputy Vice Chancellor [DVC] of the University of Port Harcourt [UNIPORT], Prof Bene Willie Abbey, has lamented the erosion of the university culture through unethical behaviours of administrators in the system.

    She said environmental factors and lack of commitment on the part of university administrators, workers and students have militated against the return of the culture, which was once prestigious and envious, and the reason universities were called ivory towers.

    Delivering a lecture titled, “University Culture: Meaning, Scope and Imperatives” at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU), Prof Abbey said the university culture of research through cooperation with industries was gone.

    This erosion, she said, has become a serious concern for university managements, especially as the declaration made in Keffi, Nasarawa State, to restore the age-long best practices of university culture, was yet to be done.

    She said unethical behaviours in universities were undermining the very foundation of higher education in the country, adding that unethical behaviour has to do with what is morally wrong,

    “Or when an individual or organisation gains an advantage at the expense of the larger society”.

    She listed some of the unethical behaviours to include cultism which she attributed to long years of military rule and its attendant brutalization of the universities, and the situation where students who are less brilliant are admitted leaving out the brilliant ones.

    Prof Abbey frowned at the situation whereby lecturers have refused to complete their course outline and instead depend on selling hand outs, sorting which is the situation where students offer lecturers either their bodies or money for marks.

    She said: “When a lecturer takes money or sleeps with his female student for marks, such a lecturer has lowered his esteem before such student and it will also be difficult for such student to have the moral to come back and offer any helping hand to the institute as alumnus of the university”.

    Prof Abbey said that the only way forward for the restoration of the valued university culture is to advocate for a strong commitment on the part of university administrators, staff and students, to uphold institutional core values for a sustainable university culture.