It is said that he who it pinches harder cries out aloud, and that whatever makes a full man cry aloud has grown beyond his cap.
On that note, the people of Ebenator community in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, yell out for an immediate rescue as a leviathan erosion gully warms to wipe off the community.
The erosion gully, which is one of the (if not) the deepest and widest erosion gully in the entire Local Government area, and in the whole Anambra South senatorial zone in general, has witnessed its most dangerous escalation, following a heavy rain that badgered in the community last week. And this quivered the entire community as it hideously exposed the citizens to their untimely death.
According to an indigen of the town who simply himself as Mr. Okafor, this perilous erosion gully popularly known as ‘Ibo Ebenator’ has claimed many innocent lives of the industrious citizens, cracked and shoved down so many houses, destroyed farm crops and damaged so many other property worth millions of Naira.
“The erosion gully has pauperized a lot of people in this community, rendered many homeless and vagrant, even as it has destroyed crops and other property worth millions of Naira” Mr. Okafor said.
The erosion gully was said to have been commissioned in 2014 by the Anambra State government under Governor Willie Obiano to the tune of about N300 Million. But ever since then, after a few paroxysm of activities and a wee crude work at the site, the Consultant (Nest Engineering Ltd.) and the Contactor (Mastek Construction Ltd) handling the work left only their signboard at the site and disappeared to the air. And since that time the erosion gully has been left to the worst as it has now worn its most hideous outfit, pull down many houses, blocked many roads and even currently escalates to a death trap craving for blood. It has also claimed many lives in the past.
According to the President General of the town, Chief Cletus Esomonu, the erosion gully has its origin from Osumenyi and stretches down to the popular ‘Ofala Okechukwu’ river, and is about 100 ft deep from the normal topographical land surface. He said that even the deepest well in the community which was the first project constructed by the then British Government in the community is now under a serious threat as the erosion gully now escalates closer to it, and that this would be very dangerous to the indigenes of the community as unquenchable water may forever gush out of it when finally affected.
The PG also said that due to its recent escalations, the gully is now about to cut off the only tarred road in the community which would then amount to disintegration and fragmentation of the community as people from the other side would no longer cross to the other side.
The people of Ebenator Community in Nnewi South Local Government Area are therefore calling on the government at all level and the concerned authorities to as a matter of urgency quickly run to their rescue as this ferocious and dangerous erosion gully is about to swallow up or wipe out the community and its inhabitants.
The indigenes in conjunction with the traditional ruler of the community H.R.H. Igwe Chinewubeeze Ezejiburu also call upon governor Willie Obiano to please respond to the plight of the people and extend his giant developmental strides to the community as a popular Igbo adage says that ”e mee nwata ka e mere ibe ya, obi adị ya mma”.
This plea is further justified by the fact that for about three years now, there has never been a shine or even a scintillation of electric light in the Ebenator town as well as some other neighbouring communities in the Local Government area, even after series of complaints and letters to the men of the EEDC in charge of the zone.
Also the only access road to ‘in and out’ of the community which is Amannalu–Ebenator–Ukpor road is now in its ugliest and most shabby condition. Although the short road is said to be a federal road and is covered under the ”Ihembosi–Ozubulu–Ukpor–Ebenator–Osumenyi” road project which has been commissioned by the Federal Government; but since then, no sign of work is ongoing on any of these roads, thereby keeping the people in hopeless condition. Even the Ofala Ebe Bridge in the community was also said have been deserted for many years.
Finally, on behalf of the indigenes, the President General of the Ebenator community call upon the government of Anambra state to come and harness to “Utokpiri Lake” which is located in the Western part of the community proximal to the popular Ofala River as this would be one of the tourist centers in the state as well as create employment opportunities for the citizens, when properly harnessed and explored.
We believe that our dear governor Willie Obiano will come to our rescue as he does always.
By Izunna Okafor
SOURCE – http://www.viviangist.ng/ebenator-erosion-gully-in-anambra/
