0
ABUJA – The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has called for immediate Federal Government intervention to stem the worsening gully erosion devastating communities in Bende Local Government Area of Abia State, warning that the ecological disaster has outgrown the capacity of the state government.
Kalu made the appeal on Wednesday while leading officials of the Ecological Project Office, including the Director of Soil and Erosion Flood Control, B’aba Bomoi, on an inspection of erosion sites in Uzuakoli and Ozuitem communities, where more than 10 houses have already been swallowed by advancing gullies, displacing scores of residents and destroying farmlands.
The inspection followed growing concerns over the scale of destruction caused by persistent rainfall, with residents reporting that the number of affected homes continues to rise as the gullies expand into residential neighbourhoods and agricultural land.
Among the properties threatened by the erosion is the residence of the Special Assistant on State Affairs in the Office of the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Ikenna Ariwodo, underscoring the severity of the environmental crisis confronting the area.
Describing the situation as “a matter of urgent public importance,” the Deputy Speaker urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Ecological Project Office to intervene without delay, stressing that the disaster requires coordinated federal action.
Addressing officials at the Uzuakoli erosion site, Kalu disclosed that he had, shortly after assuming office in the current legislative term, submitted a request for intervention to the Ecological Project Office through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation when the extent of the damage was considerably less.
According to him, the erosion has since expanded to cover between four and five kilometres, making a fresh technical assessment and significantly larger intervention imperative.
“I want to first thank the federal government for creating ecological funds office. It is under the presidency. I am sure the ecological funds office was created in view of issues that have affected mainly the South East, because we are the ecological headquarters or erosion headquarters of the world.
“Honestly speaking, I came here about two or three years ago, it was not this massive. When I made the application to the ecological funds office, it was not as big as this.
“To be honest, the amount I was asking for to solve this will be a far cry from what would be used in solving this. In fact, it is about twenty times over what I had projected when I laid that application two or three years ago.
“We have to do a reassessment of what this has become and find a way of giving a lasting solution to it. I know the capacity of your office to handle this,” he said.
Kalu commended the Ecological Project Office for responding promptly to his request, explaining that the inspection followed a recent meeting with the Permanent Secretary of the agency.
He maintained that while the Abia State Government could collaborate in addressing the challenge, the magnitude of the disaster places primary responsibility on the Federal Government.
“This is not what a state can do. I know many people have been saying the state government should come and intervene. I think this is beyond the state. Here, we can partner with the state, but this is a federal government project. If we really want to do it and do it well, we need the federal government presence here,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker recalled that a similar intervention was secured for Nkpa during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari after he sponsored a motion on June 13, 2019, which ultimately led to the construction of a bridge in the area.
He expressed optimism that the administration of President Bola Tinubu, which approved the establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) and two federal tertiary institutions in Bende, would also approve urgent intervention to tackle the erosion threatening Uzuakoli and Ozuitem communities.
While touring additional erosion sites in Ozuitem with members of the technical team, Kalu lamented the disproportionate ecological challenges confronting the South-East and appealed for swift action to halt further destruction of homes, livelihoods and critical infrastructure.
“This is affecting mainly the South East. We are counting on the federal government, counting on Mr. President to see this as a real need of our people,” he added.
Speaking during the inspection, the Director of Soil and Erosion Flood Control at the Ecological Project Office, B’aba Bomoi, described the situation as both alarming and life-threatening.
“This one is quite threatening, not only to the environment, not only to the property, even lives. And if you can look at it now the encroachment has already taken over almost the entire farmland,” he said.
The latest assessment comes weeks after women from the affected communities staged a protest demanding urgent government intervention to prevent further loss of homes and displacement of residents.
Officials of the Ecological Project Office are expected to submit a comprehensive technical assessment to guide the Federal Government’s response, as affected communities await emergency measures to halt the advancing gullies and provide a lasting solution to one of the region’s most persistent environmental challenges.
