Abia Govt advises residents to relocate from Uzuakoli gully erosion sites

Abia State government has urged residents of Amamba Uzuakoli in Bende LGA whose houses and lands were destroyed by gully erosion, to relocate from the affected areas.

The Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, who gave the advise on Friday when he visited the community, said the affected areas are presently unsafe for habitation or farming.

Ogbonna who arrived the community with the the Labour Party candidate for Bende Federal constituency, Chima Anyaso, expressed shock at the level of devastation in Amamba.

The commissioner explained that Governor Alex Otti directed him to ascertain the level of the ecological crisis, assuring the affected villagers that the state government would intervene in no distant time.

Speaking at Uzuakoli during the inspection,  LP House of Representatives candidate, Anyaso, expressed shock at the level of destructions caused by the gully erosion crisis.

Anyaso who sympathized with the affected victims, said he would team up with Governor Otti to save the Uzuakoli community from suffering more disaster.

He faulted successive legislators from Bende Federal Constituency for not attracting government attention to the erosion sites despite harvesting large votes from Uzuakoli during previous polls.

Taking the Abia State government’s delegation round the gully erosion sites, the President General of Amaba Uzuakoli,  Chigozie Okechukwu, regretted that his people are living in fear, adding that farmers are now afraid of going to farm in the affected areas.

Okechukwu who explained that houses and economic threes fell into the ditches, directed youths of the community to seal access roads to the gully areas, to prevent tragedy.