Ekwulobia community in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State have raised the alarm, over threats of erosion in their area, saying that if nothing was done urgently, the community may be washed away.
With recent torrential rainfall, gully erosion in the area has continued to expand, eating into homes and farmlands, causing locals to migrate out of their homes.
A United States based attorney and public health expert, Dr Okwudili Ezike, who conducted journalists around erosion sites in the community said the threat was beyond the state government, calling on the federal government and United Nations agencies for rescue.
Last month, Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Soludo while receiving the President Bola Tinubu, tabled the menace of erosion in the state before him, saying that even though Anambra is second smallest state in landmass, it has continued to depreciate in size due to erosion. Tinubu had promised to intervene.
But during an inspection visit on erosion sites at the weekend, Ezike said the problem in the community was beyond the state government. He said the federal government needs to liaise with United Nations agencies to tackle the problem.
He said: “We have nine villages in Ekwulobia, and each has devastating ecological situation. We are calling on the federal government and other United Nations agencies to come to our aid.
“The scope of this problem is broad and complex and requires more than what the state government can handle. We see the good works of the governor here, and we appreciate it, but we know that this problem is beyond what the state government can handle.
“The scope of this problem is enormous and requires the intervention of the state government and even international organisations. We want the federal government to come on site and see the level of devastation we are facing here.
“If not for this palliative work the governor is doing, the entire community would have been wiped out. This place you see was previously the ancestral home of some people, but today, gully has taken over. So we are calling on the federal government to come and save the old Aguata area, which comprises of Aguata, Orumba North and Orumba South Local Government Areas. Further and more complex interventions are required to save our people from this devastation.
“This is the biggest problem we have, and the governor is aware of this because he is from this area and we are are calling on the United nations and organisations like the Food Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in charge of things like this to come to our aid.
“While people see this from an ecological perspective, I see this from a more broader perspective, like global health security. Local security is also global health. I live in Washington DC, and in three days I will be back in the States. I’m in Ekwulobia right now, but if I contract any disease by being here, it will be in Washington DC in three days. That is why this is a global issue.
“This is a threat to health and public space, so it needs detection and treatment. This has to do with climate issues too. I’m calling on the federal government to liaise with the international community that has the funds and the expertise.”;
