Governor inspects tanker crash, erosion disaster sites
By Emma Una
CALABAR — Cross River State Governor, Senator Bassey Otu, on Monday inspected the scene of the tanker crash at Odukpani, on the outskirts of Calabar, and the landslide along Anansa Street in the state capital, seeking wider Federal Government intervention to address the scale of the environmental disaster.
The governor, who visited the two locations to assess the situations first-hand, said the magnitude of the landslide required coordinated intervention beyond the capacity of the state government.
At the Odukpani tanker crash scene, Otu commended the local government chairman, stakeholders and residents for their prompt response to the emergency and mobilisation of assistance during the incident.
He also sympathised with shop owners whose businesses were affected by the tanker fire.
“At times like these, we should come together and support one another. Stakeholders should sustain the ongoing intervention and ensure that measures being taken address not merely the immediate consequences of the incident but also the underlying vulnerabilities that could expose the community to similar emergencies,” he said.
Otu assured the affected communities that the state government remained committed to protecting lives, supporting vulnerable residents and addressing emerging environmental and public-safety challenges.
He said the inspections were part of his administration’s efforts to obtain first-hand information on situations affecting residents and deploy appropriate interventions based on professional assessment.
At the Anansa Street landslide site, the governor directed that ongoing technical and institutional assessments be sustained, stressing that any permanent intervention must be based on credible engineering studies and be capable of withstanding the environmental pressures responsible for the crisis.
He said the state government would continue to engage relevant agencies and technical experts until a durable solution was achieved.
Describing the landslide as devastating, Otu said the scale of the damage made it necessary to seek additional technical and institutional support.
“What is happening here is very, very devastating,” the governor said.
“We have made several attempts to study exactly what is happening and determine the appropriate response. We already have what I would call studies that are ongoing. The Office of the Secretary to the Federal Government has put two teams on the ground.”
Otu said the Federal Government had taken interest in the situation, adding that President Bola Tinubu had directed a team to visit the affected location and undertake an assessment.
He said the Federal Government’s involvement would complement measures already being undertaken by the state and strengthen efforts to find a permanent solution.
“Clearly, this project is just bigger than the state. It is so huge, so huge,” Otu declared, stressing the need for additional engineers and other specialists to assess the situation and determine the appropriate intervention.
The governor attributed the worsening landslide partly to prolonged rainfall and the broader effects of climate change.
He explained that persistent rainfall had constrained the ability of engineers and other technical experts to undertake some aspects of the intervention.
Otu, however, expressed optimism that the situation would become more amenable to comprehensive intervention as the rains recede.
“We are very sure that in the near future, as we look towards the end of this month, the rain should die down,” he said.
“Then we can get some allowance for additional engineers to come in and see what we have done here and determine the appropriate long-term solution.”
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