Abia Community Stands To Lose Ancestral Land (See What They Are Begging Otti, Tinubu To Do For Them)

Residents and Indigenes of Ogbor ancient kingdom in Aba North local government area of Abia State have appealed to the governor of the state, Dr. Alex Otti and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to come to their aid as a gully erosion causes devastating effect in the community, with many houses feared to cave into the gully if nothing urgent was done to safe the situation.

The gully which was originally a road linking Arochukwu, Ovom, Aguwa, Pepples streets to other parts of the commercial nerve of the state including the new abattoir, Good Morning Market, Ahia Ohuru, and other parts of famous Ngwa also served as alternative route to Ogbor Hill whenever there was gridlock on Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway.

Our correspondent reports that some houses and other property worth millions of naira had already caved into the gully erosion with many property and over 500 houses feared to also cave into the gully with depth that is above three storey building level if nothing was urgently done to check further bleaching of the soil around the erosion site.

Our correspondent reports that the federal government under President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan had award the reclaiming of the erosion site, but the job which was shabbily done and left uncompleted by the said contractor handling the project.

Efforts of the indigenes and residents of the area to attract the attention of government at both state and federal government failed to yield any fruit.

Infonet9ja.com recalled that the lawmaker that represented Aba Central State Constituency in the State House of Assembly in the 7th Assembly, Hon. Abraham Oba had visited the erosion site in the company of former governor of the state, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu in 2022 who promised that the state would do begin a palliative work on the site, while assuring the people of the area that he was going to escalate it to see how he was going to attract the attention of the federal government or the World Bank as the state alone can not handle the project alone.

It was gathered that the state government never did any palliative job on the site until the time of visit of our correspondent.

Some of the indigenes of the community who spoke to our correspondent at the erosion site said that except for the self-help palliative that they did with over 30, 000 bags of cement, they could have long been sacked from the community.

The indigenes who said that they could no longer sustain the palliative work on the site under the present economic situation of the country, feared that if nothing urgent was done by the state and federal government to save the situation, the erosion site may sack them from their ancestral land.

According to the indigenes of the community area disclosed that they can no longer easily meet with their kith and kins or access some parts of Aba North and South LGA because the gully has cut them off from each other.

According to them, the road when it was still motorable serves as an alternative entry and exit route to major parts of Aba, the commercial nerve of the state.

They stated that they no longer sleep, especially during the current rainy season as the road caves in at the slightest drop of rain.

They disclosed that many houses have caved into the gully, adding that the gully may soon sack the entire community, with over 3000 houses under the threat of the gully.

The President Aba Chamber of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (ACCIMA),Chief Jerry Kalu said that his attention was drawn to the erosion menace by residents and indigenes of the area.

Chief Kalu who expressed hope that the government of the state would thinker a palliative measure, called on lawmakers representing the area from state to federal level to liaise with the state government in order to ensure that urgent step was taken to bring lasting solution to the erosion menace.

Meanwhile, Abia State government has assured the people of Ogbor ancient kingdom of the state of the administration’s readiness to address threat of gully erosion in the community.

This assurance came from the Special Adviser to His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti on Aba Rejuvenation, Mr. Uche Ukeje who visited erosion site for on the spot assessment of the impact of the erosion on the community.

Mr. Ukeje who spoke to journalists after inspecting the erosion site described the impact of the erosion in the community as massive.

Mr. Ukeje who stated that he was going to relay the outcome of his visit and the need for urgent intervention from the state to save the community from further loss, added the state government would be seeking the support of relevant federal government and global agencies to permanently address the erosion challenge, disclosed that the state alone may not be able to fund the project because of the damage the erosion has caused the community.

Ukeje who said that it was only an insensitive government would allow the erosion menace to get to the extent it is at the time of the inspection said “His Excellency’s government is a compassionate government and government of the people.

“I will take what I have seen here to his Excellency and he will respond as quickly as possible.

“However, the scale of destruction as you have seen here is massive. We will also get other organs of government involved to make sure that help comes as soon as possible.

“This problem has lingered before this administration. We are going to look at the remote cause of this to know how to permanently bring this to an end. We will trace the cause and find a lasting solution to the flood menace in this community.”