… 51 sites discovered, 1m people to be displaced
From Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
PEOPLE of Oraifite community in Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State have appealed to the Federal and Anambra State governments to urgently rescue the community from the devastating gully erosion threatening the area.
Chairman of Oraifite Improvement Union, Lagos branch, Chinonso Egbuonu, and Ichie Godwin Ugochukwu (Ezeaputa Oraifite) and a King in the area made appeal while addressing journalists at this year’s ‘Afia-olu fractural’ held at Oraifite Civic Centre.
The duo noted that not less than two-third of the community was under the threat of the fast encroaching and ravaging erosion menace.
Ichie Ugochukwu said: “We have continued to repeat our appeal to the Federal and State governments to come to our rescue. There are about 51 sites as documented by the community and if nothing urgent is done in the nearest possible time, no fewer than one million people would be sacked from their ancestral homes in this community.
The Managing Director of Allied Chemical Industries Nig. Ltd in Onitsha, Sylvester Okafor, said the community had done a lot collectively and individually to control the erosion but to no avail.
He said the most active was the one at Olioba in Ibollo village, threatening to divide the Onitsha- Owerri Road and very close to the PHCN transmission tower.
He used the opportunity to call on the state government to come to the aid of the community, saying: “We will also like to use this opportunity to appreciate Governor Willie Obiano for the strides he took on assumption of office by stamping out criminals in the state.
He, however, appealed to the governor to prevail on the contractor handling the Oraifite portion of Ekwusigo link road that had abandoned the project to go back to site and complete the asphalting of the road awarded by the former Governor of the state, Peter Obi.