Beatriceonuchukwu
21 November 2008
Awka — South East Governors after their meeting in Abuja recently urged the Federal Government to declare the South East geo political zone as emergency erosion disaster area. Subsequently, the Federal Government has responded and promised to provide a special fund to tackle the problems that are facing the areas in the South East.
In recent times gully erosion and land slide have been creating sleepless nights to various communities in the five eastern states notably Anambra and Abia, as well as in Bayelsa . Some of the identified prone areas include Nanka,Ekwuluobia, Agulu, Udongwu and,Igboukwu in Anambra state: Isukwuato, Ahaba Ime-enyi in Abia and Sagbama, Agbene, Sagana etc in Bayelsa states.
Anambra State is estimated to be the worst hit as per number of gully erosion sites and the potential to cause financial and human casualty. According to documented evidence, up to 1000 major gullies are estimated to be in Anambra state alone, which more than doubles the amount of gully erosion found in other States.
Relaying his nightmare, Pa Elijah Ezeokeke, (78) of Nanka community in Anambra state said that the best option for him is to hang himself on a tree in a nearby bush. Ezeokeke has been at the receiving end of nature's unkindness to man. A year earlier, a heavy down pour had taken place and the flood that trailed it collapsed his bungalow. In fact the next gully erosion onslaught found his house and all that he had as a man at the depth of the gully. Ezeokeke had to relocate to the home of a kinsman with his wife and four boys. But nature's fury was still after him. Years later his sons had gone to fetch flood water as there is neither a pipe born water nor stream in Nanka. It started raining later and the youngest of them was swept away by flood and when the rest of his three brothers took a dive to rescue their youngest sibling, they all got drowned in the flood and were later emptied inside the Nanka gully erosion.
It was still not over with Ezeokeke who lost his wife as a result of shock. The wife took off from home and till date, her where about is not known. Reports had it that she committed suicide; others said she ran mad as a result of the death of her four sons.
Today in Nanka community, the picture is that of frustration mixed with desperation for the villagers. People now sleep with one eyes closed in anticipation of a fresh onslaught of gully erosion. Several International Environmental Agencies and federal government delegations had visited Nanka gully erosion but nothing reasonable has been done. Environmental data have shown that Nanka gully erosion is the largest in Nigeria and second largest in West Africa.
Chief Okeke Ogene,a member Nanka Erosion Control Committee said that erosion was discovered by the colonial masters as far back as in the 1920s.
The Shehu Shagari-Ekwueme administration in 1979 awarded the first phase of the contract to RONASCO LTD, to channel the flood from Nanka down toward Ogbu community.
The average Nanka man has paid through his nose in a bid to save his home from collap-sing especially by constructing catchment pits in every home in order to check erosion. Daily Trust investigation revealed that it is only a son of Nanka community, Chief Paulycap Emenike ,the CEO of NEROS Pharmaceuticals that donated N1 million to help those trapped inside and the refugees staying at the primary school. "The Orumba north local govern-ment authority has never visited that place for once or asked questions about the erosion and the people who are trapped on the fringes of the gully", Ogene lamented.
Daily Trust findings with Ezenekwe discovered four major active erosion sites in Nanka community. A run down of these sites cut the picture of a gully erosion that is currently running a ring round Agulu and Nanka communities.
UDONGWU GULLY EROSION is one of the biggest gully erosion in Anambra state. It is about 1,000ft deep and about 3,000ft wide and about 30,000-40,000 ft long. The gully stretches from the border of Nanka/Agulu, touching on the Nanka/Awgbu border and ends at the Ubahu/Enugu village border.
OBUAGU-UBAHU-GULLY EROSION is the newest of the gullies in Nanka, about 600-1000ft deep, 400-600ft wide and about 6000-1000ft long.
ISIAKPUENU/AMAUDO GULLY EROSION located in Ifite/Amako village is ranked amongst the largest gullies in Anambra state, standing as a giant world class structure.
AGBANA GULLY EROSION located in Enugu village caused landslides of the late-1980s that resulted to the FG to erecting refugee's camp in Enugu village as a short term measure to placate the homeless villagers. However, the destroyed infrastructure worth millions of Naira that was lost along with some lives in the landslide were never recovered nor was it addressed properly by the federal government. The federal government has only made limited effort to avert another round of landslides in the area without providing a lasting solution to the problem. In Abia state ,the monster called gully erosion and the after effects that follow the continued neglect on those that have unfortunately found themselves at the mouth of this impending danger have created havoc to many homes, farmlands, roads, power installation plants and grid lines to mention but a few in these areas under discussion. Analysts have however concerned themselves with facts to explain why gully erosion poses a potent headache to environmentalists and Governments,
The fact of the matter however is that gully erosion has impacted the south eastern region of Nigeria adversely more than any other part of the country. Just like most other issues pertaining to the region, this hydra headed phenomenon has suffered its share of neglect by successive governments in Nigeria .
The representatives of Abia State have made several calls to the federal government for more funds towards abating the spread and danger created by gully erosion. Citing instances, in January 2006, members of the Senate Committee on Special Duties and Conflict Resolution described the erosion and landslide sites in Isuikwato Local Government Area of Abia State as a 'national disgrace. Commenting on the matter, the chairman of Isuikwuato Local Government, Chief Charles Ojukwu, noted that the high powered visit to the sites in 2001 by some of the federal political officers had no visible effect to date. According to him, landslide had cut off the "villages in Oguduasa clan, from the rest of the state, while buildings stand on the verge of being submerged into the erosion gully. This particular erosion gully is estimated to be growing at the rate of 500 meters per year.
Environmentalist are of the opinion that at least N4 billion is required to tackle the erosion menace that is ravaging some communities, in Isukwuato Local Government Area. And presently ,investigations show that over ten of the very active erosion sites exist in various parts of the council area, some of which are threatening the communities, while some roads have been cut into two by erosion.
The major road leading to the Abia state University in Uturu, from the council headquarters and many other communities, is on the verge of being cut off. Elsewhere houses are collapsing and families are been forced out from their homes. Chief Eke Uzoh ,a community leader wondered if the people of Isukwuato are still part of the Country. According to him, the council with the support of the state Government has decided to face the challenge since the Federal Government has abandoned the area, which he noted has produced some patriotic people that served Nigeria well.
In Bayelsa state the menace of erosion and flooding have ravaged several communities so much that several settlements have had to relocate to new areas as the effects of nature pursue them.
There has been no respite from the flood and erosion as the government is unable to muster the resources required to tackle the apparent environmental disaster.
To many people living on the banks of the famous River Nun, the river has been kind and cruel. The river has washed away several fishing communi-ties, while it poses a constant threat to several others in the state.
Places such as Agbene, Sagana Sagbama Brass, Fangbe, Koluama Okolobiri Sagbama, and the historic town of Kaima have been ravaged by erosion which has in most cases dispossessed the people of farm land and homes.
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