The member representing Bende North state Constituency in Abia House of Assembly, Hon Ibekwe Nnamdi has appealed to the Abia state, Federal, and other relevant government agencies to come to the aid of communities in his constituency being ravaged by gully erosion.
Hon. Ibekwe made the appeal after inspecting the extent of erosion damage in Okoko Item, Bende local government, and other locations in his constituency.
Dr. Ibekwe said that many buildings have either been severely affected or near collapse, while farmlands have been decimated, and roads eroded.
He painted a picture of very dire and deplorable circumstances as the scale of destruction confirmed not just fear of damaging infrastructure but actively dismantling communities across Alayi, Igbere, and Item.
The lawmaker said that this has disrupted not only the economic and social well-being of the people and that the two monstrous gullies at Okoko- Amaokwe -Nkporo road now stand poised to sever the vital artery of these vibrant community.
According to him, this call for urgent and immediate action, and he has through his OziomaChi Foundation
embarked on grassroots campaigns, mobilisation, and sensitisation to awaken the people to erosion’s existential threat by shifting their mindsets from reactive control to proactive prevention.
Dr. Ibekwe noted that while community consciousness has improved since the commencement of my tenure, urgent and proactive government intervention still remains the best and most crucial.
Consequently, while commending the Abia State government for its intervention in roads, especially the Prof. Irukwu Way, he further appeal for more intervention support, as well as from the federal government through relevant agencies, for an urgent and coordinated action on the erosion menace at Okoko Item and other vulnerable communities in Bende North Constituency, Abia State.
He stressed the need to prioritize erosion control measures at the critical sites in Okoko, where the threat to infrastructure and livelihoods have mostly been severe, advocating for emergency funding to stabilized the affected infrastructure, such as roads and public utilities, to prevent further deterioration and disruption to the communities.
The Bende North state Constituency representative stressed the need for commitment to implementing long-term preventive strategies, including the construction of proper drainage channels, reforestation, and community education, to address the root causes of erosion and safeguard these areas for the future.
He said that this has become quite urgent, as the situation was no longer a mere environmental nuisance but an existential community threat before Bende North’s lifelines became graveyards of neglect.
