A passionate appeal has been made to President Mohammed Buhari to come to the aid of the State Government in checking the devastation of gully erosion in parts of Anambra State including the country home of former Nigeria’s Vice President, late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, Oko and other neighbouring communities of Nanka, both in Orumba North local government area, as well as Agulu in Anaocha Council Area, of the state.
The Igbo Social-Cultural Organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, called on President Buhari to, as a matter of urgency, direct the Federal Ministry of Environment to attend to the dreaded situation before it gets out of hand as the erosion has continued to wreak havoc especially now that the rainy season has set in.
The Ohanaeze issued the appealed last Thursday, at its Awka office, in a letter titled “Save Us From The Ravaging Gully Erosion in Ekwueme’s home”, -directed to President Buhari, and made available to the Press.
The Organization expressed worry at the seeming neglect meted to late Dr. Alex Ekwueme, despite his contributions towards nation-building.
According to the State Chairman of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Demian Okeke-Ogene, who signed the letter alongside Traditional rulers of the affected communities, the communities of Oko, Nanka and Agulu are constrained to notify the President of the grave situation and the havoc being unleashed on the affected communities by the erosion menace, which has continued to escalate, resulting in loss of lives and property.
They lamented that the ravaging effects of the erosion menace have continued to threaten the foundation of their existence, especially the poor and vulnerable in the three communities.
Chief Okeke- Ogene, explained that the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, under the Federal Ministry of Environment had paid several visits to the three communities and Mobilized the people to support their preliminary works like Engineering Design, Survey, Resettlement Plan and Environmental Impact Assignment.
He narrated that they sensitized the people on how to assist in checking the menace, as well as how they should relate with the contractors when they eventually start work, and that the copies of the studies are still with the community leaders after approval by Anambra State Government, Federal Government and the World Bank, but regretted that uptill now, work has not commenced on the affected sites.
He further lamented that the rate at which the erosion is ravaging the areas could better be imagined than seen, noting that one might not be surprised to observe that since NEWMAP visited the places last year, more houses have caved into the deep abyss of the dreaded gully. They pleaded with the President to used his good offices to cause intervention at Agulu-Nanka-Oko erosion sites, as promised by NEWMAP without further delay
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