By Vincent Ujumadu
AWKA — The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh, has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the erosion and flooding threatening Obosi, the hometown of former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, and Ogidi, hometown of renowned novelist, Prof. Chinua Achebe.
The two communities in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State are currently facing severe erosion and flooding, which have affected several houses, including the palace of the traditional ruler of Ogidi, Igwe Alex Onyido, which was flooded at the weekend following a heavy downpour.
Umeh made the appeal during a visit to the affected communities, saying the scale of the devastation was beyond what the state government and affected communities could handle alone.
At Obosi, several households have been forced to relocate to safer areas, while the Ogidi axis of the old Enugu-Onitsha road has become impassable to motorists and other road users due to flooding.
Lamenting the extent of ecological devastation across Anambra State, Umeh promised to raise the matter on the floor of the Senate when lawmakers resume next month and seek the support of his colleagues for urgent intervention.
He also called for a declaration of a state of emergency on the ecological challenges confronting the state, noting that Anambra’s limited landmass was gradually being eroded by expanding gully formations.
According to him, the scale of the ecological disaster had become too enormous for the state government to tackle alone, stressing the need for coordinated intervention by the Federal Government and relevant national and international agencies.
He said, “This is beyond what Anambra State can handle. As your senator, I will take this problem to the Federal Government so that they can intervene because this is not a child’s play.
“Since one of your sons, Chief Eric Anyamene, has started doing some palliative work to stop further devastation, there is need to support him by the relevant bodies and government.”
Umeh described the erosion menace in Idemili North and South as frightening, noting that previous efforts to tackle the problem had not yielded sufficient results.
“Erosion menace in Idemili North and South is frightening. In the past, efforts were made to combat the menace, but it is becoming more difficult. I thank the ADC candidate for the palliative,” he said.
He recalled that the Senate had previously constituted an ad hoc committee on the erosion menace, regretting that not much had been achieved.
“We don’t have much land mass in Anambra State and the little we have is being washed away by erosion. This menace is beyond political consideration because the lives of the people are affected.
“I will write a letter to the Minister of Environment and Mr President himself, and prepare a formal motion I will present to the Senate,” he said.
Also speaking at the erosion site, Anyamene recalled that he and some other members of the community had earlier contributed about N48 million towards intervention work at the site.
He said more than 12 hours of non-stop rainfall last Thursday caused what he described as a tremor, resulting in a gully more than 30 feet deep and over one kilometre long.
According to him, the palliative work had cost about N141 million, but was only intended to control further damage and could not provide a permanent solution to the problem.
Anyamene commended Umeh for responding promptly by visiting the site and sympathising with the affected community.
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