By NewsCritic Reporters
Residents of Ihuebo Umuchime in Uhabiri Umuchime Na Amanso Autonomous Community, Ossah Ibeku in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State are now living in fear following the threat of gully erosion, which has destroyed structures and farms in the largely agrarian community.
This is just as the traditional ruler of the Uhabiri Umuchime Na Amanso Autonomous Community, HRM Eze Iheanyichukwu Abel Ezigbo (Ochima) and the stakeholders have appealed to Abia State Governor HE Dr Alex Otti to remember his promise to the community during his electioneering campaign visit, and come to their rescue before the erosion which has reached a frightening dimension claims lives.
While conducting journalists around the gully erosion site, the immediate past President General of the community and community leader, Elder Obioma Okechukwu lamented that the people of the area are now living in danger and fear for their safety as the erosion threatens to swallow more structures and also cut off the people living at the other side of the community, who are without any other access road.
The gully erosion site according to Elder Obioma Okechukwu is about to cut off the road from Mgbaja Ossah to Old Umuahia, an important corridor that links up four autonomous communities, and one of Umuahia’s largest housing estate known as Unity Estate, which starts at Ossah and terminates at Old Umuahia after crossing Ohiya and Afara respectively.
According to Elder Obioma ‘’It has already cut off our sisters and brothers who are living on the other side of the community. It started sometime in 2019 when the Niger Delta Ministry sent one of their contractors to this area and we thought help has come at last only for them to abandon this project, and since this project was abandoned we have been crying to both the State and the federal government to come to our rescue to no avail.
“As we speak we can’t assess the other end of the community because the gully erosion has cut off the other people, our brothers and sisters who are living over there at the other end of the village. This community has 15 villages that make up the autonomous community, and if no urgent action is taken to address the threat of gully erosion, half of the community and their means of livelihood will be lost, and the environment degraded, the former President General emphasized.
He stressed that Gov Alex Otti as a man who is full of compassion, should come to their rescue now, recalling that sometimes in 2022 when the incumbent Gov Otti came on a campaign visit to their traditional ruler HRM Eze Iheanyichukwu Abel Ezigbo, who was then the chairman of Ibeku council of traditional rulers, that they made a passionate appeal to the Governor over the erosion menace, which the Governor promised to answer to the problem.
Elder Obioma said that since then the community has been doing everything humanly possible to get help from the government but that nothing has come out of it, hence this save our soul appeal. He said the situation is made worse by the fact that all the flood water coming from the newly constructed Aguiyi Ironsi Boulevard empties into the gully area thereby creating more havoc at the area.
The community leader explained that the project is beyond what the community can handle, appealing to the State government and relevant authorities, including donor agencies and good spirited individuals to come to their rescue.
