Communities in Anambra and Ebonyi states have called on the Federal and State Governments to declare a state of emergency over worsening erosion and flooding that they say are threatening lives, homes and critical infrastructure.
Residents of affected areas said expanding erosion gullies have damaged or endangered houses, roads, schools, hospitals, farmlands and other community facilities, with some warning that continued deterioration could force residents to abandon their ancestral homes.
In Anambra, affected communities include Obiofia Ibolo in Oraifite, Ekwusigo Local Government Area; Ugamuma in Obosi, Idemili North; Ezi-Awka in Awka; Enugwu-Agidi in Njikoka; and areas around Iyienu University Teaching Hospital, Ogidi.
At Obiofia Ibolo, the President-General of Oraifite, Vincent Dike, said at least seven houses had already been destroyed by erosion, while roads, schools and other community facilities remained under serious threat.
Dike attributed the problem in the area to what he described as inadequate drainage infrastructure provided during the construction of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway.
He also warned that a World Bank-assisted hanging bridge serving the community could be endangered if urgent intervention was not provided.
Residents of Ugamuma equally raised concerns over an expanding gully at the end of a road leading to the Anambra State School of Health Technology, Anti-Cult Police Station and Union Secondary School, warning that the erosion could eventually cut off the area.
The Principal of Union Secondary School, Ebele Onugha, said nearby homes and public facilities were under serious threat, while residents Stanley Abanofor and Deborah Okeke said the erosion had destroyed farmlands and residential property and forced property owners to spend substantial resources attempting to control the menace.
At Ezi-Awka Community Secondary School, the Principal, Eucharia Ogbunyi, said erosion had destroyed two classroom blocks and threatened four others as well as the staff room.
She said the situation had forced some students to withdraw from the school, while students and teachers who remained were exposed to risks from the threatened structures.
An engineer, Alex Chukwunwike, proposed an integrated erosion-control project involving landscaping, concrete works and drainage construction to channel floodwater towards Obibia Stream, about 1.25 kilometres from the school.
In Enugwu-Agidi, residents said erosion had severely affected the Mgbachala and Irugaga areas of Ifite village, making movement difficult during the rainy season.
The Vice-Chairman of Ifite village, Benjamin Ejinaga, warned that continued degradation could eventually force residents to abandon their ancestral lands.
At Iyienu University Teaching Hospital, erosion has reportedly destroyed parts of the perimeter fence and threatened about 10 buildings, including male and female hostels and administrative blocks.
The Legal Secretary of the Diocese on the Niger, Humphrey Udechukwu, attributed the problem to alleged illegal stone-mining activities behind the institution and called for government action against the miners.
The Acting Managing Director of the Anambra State Erosion, Watershed and Climate Change Agency, ANSEWCCA, Ifeanyi Nwasinoke, said the agency had assessed the affected locations and would submit its findings and recommendations to the appropriate authorities.
He also disclosed that the agency had proposed five solar-powered catchment pits to divert floodwater away from the affected hospital environment.
Chairman of the Civil Liberties Organisation, Anambra State branch, Vincent Ezekwueme, called for more aggressive intervention and urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on erosion in the state.
He identified Ugamuma, Ekwulobia, Oba, Ogidi and Umuchu, among other communities, as areas requiring urgent attention.
The organisation also called on the Federal Government to provide emergency palliative measures and urged the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, to assess affected communities and provide relief.
Similarly, the Rector of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Chioma Awuzie, appealed for federal intervention, describing erosion as a serious threat to the institution’s infrastructure.
Responding to the wider erosion crisis, Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, Clem Aguiyi, said the causes of gully erosion and landslides in the state could be traced to both natural and human factors.
He listed natural factors to include highly erodible soils, high rainfall intensity, topography, geology and poor soil structure.
The commissioner identified human factors as poor waste management, blocked drainage systems, construction on waterways and floodplains, deforestation, bush burning, unregulated sand mining and excavation, as well as poor farming and land-use practices.
Aguiyi said Anambra has about 1,000 geo-referenced erosion sites, including 62 critical sites and about 550 very active sites, adding that more than 70 per cent of the state’s land is either ravaged or threatened by erosion.
He identified the Agulu-Nanka-Oko-Ekwulobia corridor and Ebenato in Nnewi South among major erosion hotspots.
According to him, some gullies in the Agulu-Nanka-Oko-Ekwulobia corridor have reached about 120 metres deep and two kilometres wide, while an erosion site at Ebenato measures about 250 metres long, 25 metres wide and 15 metres deep.
Aguiyi said the scale of the challenge required a multilayered response involving the Federal Government, Anambra State Government and international partners, noting that the state government alone could not adequately address the problem.
He disclosed that the Federal Government, through the Ecological Fund Office, had awarded a ₦1.4 billion contract for erosion control at Alor and Nnobi in Idemili South Local Government Area, with a 16-month completion timeline.
He also said the state was working with the World Bank, Federal Government and contractors under the Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project, NEWMAP, on a ₦9 billion erosion-control project covering Enugwu-Ukwu, Abidi-Umuoji, Nnewi-ichi, Ojoto, Nkpor Flyover and Ire-Obosi.
Aguiyi said 13 sites had been addressed under the 10-year NEWMAP programme, with about eight fully completed.
According to him, the intervention saved 36,959 houses from collapse, reclaimed 4,255.4 hectares of land and protected 350,677 people in erosion corridors from displacement, while 33,881 people benefited directly and indirectly.
The commissioner, however, said Anambra requires more than ₦17 billion to tackle just 62 critical erosion sites, stressing the need for support from institutions such as the European Investment Bank and other international partners.
Meanwhile, experts and residents in Ebonyi State have called for increased public awareness, early intervention and stronger government action to tackle the state’s erosion crisis.
The experts urged the Federal and State Governments to map erosion- and landslide-prone areas and ensure that residents in high-risk locations are relocated where necessary to prevent loss of lives and property.
The Head of the Department of Environmental Management at Ebonyi State University, Chima Njoku, said more attention should be given to controlling erosion at its early stages, describing early intervention as the most cost-effective approach.
Njoku said some residents continued to live in erosion-prone areas even after receiving compensation because there was inadequate follow-up to ensure their relocation.
He advocated replanting trees in areas affected by deforestation and commended previous NEWMAP interventions in recovering erosion- and flood-prone areas, including Nguzu Edda, Azuiyoku and Iyiudele.
Another expert, Chijioke Ama, warned that uncontrolled gully erosion could eventually trigger landslides and urged residents to keep refuse out of drainage systems.
A resident, Darlington Ekuma, said seasonal downpours had resulted in structural sinkholes and posed a direct threat to residents.
He called for sustained government intervention in flood and erosion control, warning that seemingly minor perimeter cracks and shallow holes could develop into major structural failures if left unattended.
The communities and experts consequently called for urgent, coordinated action involving government agencies, traditional institutions, town unions, civil society organisations and residents to address the environmental crisis and prevent further loss of lives, property and infrastructure.
