The Government of Anambra State has pleaded with the Federal Government to intervene in the portion of the Onitsha-Owerri expressway, which was recently cut off by erosion.
A team consisting of the Chief of Staff to Governor Soludo, Ernest Ezeajughi; Commissioners for Works, Ifeanyi Okoma; Environment, Felix Odimegwu, and Press Secretary to the Governor, Christian Aburime visited the site on Monday.
The senator representing Anambra Central, Senator Victor Umeh had last weekend visited the site and promised to notify the National Assembly of the development, with a view to attracting the attention of the federal government.
He also called for the declaration of emergency on erosion in the South East, saying that the menace of erosion was depleting the already small landmass of the zone.
Ezeajughi during his visit lamented that there were over 1,000 active erosion sites in Anambra State alone, lamenting that there was an urgent need to tackle the Onitsha-Owerri Road erosion, as the movement of goods and persons will be stalled once the other part of the road caves in.
He said: “We have over 1,000 active erosion sites in Anambra State. This is just one of them. We are acting on an emergency.
“Because this Onitsha-Owerri road by Oba erosion wash-off is a major devastation, we are not waiting for the federal government, even though it is their responsibility.
“The people bearing the hardship are ndị Anambra, as such, Anambra State government has embarked on intervention to arrest the situation before other measures.”
The Commissioner for Works, Okoma said: “We are in talks with the Federal Ministry of Works and Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA and they are already on it. But it will be a long process.
“We don’t have an option, we moved a contractor that will continue with the second objective, to stop further mudslides.”
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