Igbeaku Orji 
Erosion threat
Erosion and earth movement are among the ecological cum environmental disasters threatening the South-East geopolitical zone of Nigeria. In the region, land is the greatest natural asset and resource, hence the value it wields. Its limited availability makes any threat to it a threat to life and existence itself. In recent times, the menace has destroyed property and farmland in many communities. While some people have been rendered homeless others have had their means of livelihood washed away. However, such natural disasters do not happen overnight. The occurrence is, in most cases, the natural outcome of years of neglect and insensitivity to the plight of the people.
Physical remedy
When the situation goes out of control then emergency efforts would not be able to check it. At such a time it would have gone beyond the limited capacity of the vulnerable community to handle it. Naturally, once on its destructive course its damage becomes extensive with each passing moment. At the end of the day, even the government would lack resources to tackle it among other competing projects.
Onyejeocha to the rescue
Sadly, when the menace is within a manageable dimension no one seems to pay attention. For instance, it took the Federal Government’s intervention through the effort of the member representing the Isuikwuato/Umunneochi federal constituency and House Deputy Majority Whip, Hon Nkiruka Onyejeocha, to bring succour to the people of Umunnekwu-Agbo in Isuikwuato, who are peculiarly ravaged by erosion. Ebem Ohafia in Ohafia Local Government Area is among the communities ravaged by erosion. The community has been on the precipice. The rampaging erosion has over the years gradually eaten the land unchecked and is now about to dismember the palace of the traditional ruler.
Legislative efforts
Again, legislative and administrative efforts made by the member representing Ikwuano/ Umuahia federal constituency, Hon Sam Onuigbo, with regard to the Umunwanwa erosion menace in Umuahia South Local Government Area, have yielded no fruit. Despite the lawmaker’s presentation and follow-up with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) and other relevant government interventionist agencies to avert the imminent disaster at the Umuokpara community, Umunwanwa is still hanging precariously on the precipice of erosion menace. Onuigbo is worried that motions and resolutions of the House of Representatives as well as an interactive session with the House Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) on the state of the nation’s oil and gas industry had with the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari on the matter fell on deaf ears.
NNPC, PPMC’s role
The involvement of the NNPC and PPMC in particular, among other government agencies, is the imminent danger posed by the exposed NNPC pipeline in the Umunwanwa community. The erosion has washed up the pipes leaving them bare on the surface. The need for NNPC intervention therefore cannot be overstressed to avert a repeat of the ugly incident at Osisioma about three years ago in which property and precious lives were lost to the pipeline inferno. Onuigbo had moved two motions on this same matter of urgent public importance (Order 8, Rule 4) and had called on the Federal Government to immediately take action to prevent a calamity waiting to happen at Umunwanwa. These motions, according to him, were initiated in the 8th and 9th Assemblies– to get the backing of the House at ensuring the Federal Government and its agencies took urgent action to address the life-threatening erosion.
The debate
During his lead debate, the lawmaker said: “Umunwanwa is a town in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State and has the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) pipeline passing through it, and the town has been devastated by severe erosion menace. “The destructive effects of erosion in Umunwanwa are threatening lives, property, and economic activities in the area, coupled with this threat is the danger that the PPMC pipeline that passes through Umunwanwa has been precariously exposed by the erosion, leaving it open to an explosion at the slightest of impacts. “The ugly petroleum pipeline explosion that resulted in the deaths of about 250 people in Osisioma, in Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State in 2018, was reported to have exhibited similar dangerous signals which were brought to the attention of the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) or its subsidiary, the PPMC, but such warning alerts and several calls to action to prevent the deadly incident that happened were ignored or neglected. “Umunwanwa is sitting on a literal keg of gun powder and except the Federal Government immediately takes measures to diffuse this, the looming mass death of those Nigerian citizens might as well be equated to a government- sanctioned execution. “This erosion site among others is at Umunwanwa in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State. I have been seeking all sorts of interventions including some palliative works from Anambra/Imo River Basin Authority. I have also paid for the survey plan and engineering works that were done for that site and submitted to Ecological Fund Office, yet no positive action has been taken.”
FENRAD’s intervention
It is perhaps the same persuasion that drove a pro-democracy and environmental rights advocacy group, the Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) to call on the federal and Abia State governments to intervene and save the people of Ebem Ohafia from being washed away by erosion, saying it was better to prevent deaths than to send condolence messages.
FENRAD said the call was necessitated by the speed at which the menace was chasing lives and property, especially, the palace of the traditional ruler, HRH, Eze Ukoha Kalu Ukoha and the urgent need for intervention by the government to save the people from the grip of ravaging erosion. In a statement issued by its Executive Director, Nelson Nwafor, FENRAD said the effect of the erosion was felt across the landscape of Ebem even as the home of the paramount ruler has come under threat.
The group, therefore, urged the federal and state governments as well as the individuals representing the area to ensure further damage was averted as Ebem Ohafia is the home of strategic government establishments including an army barrack, a federal government college, among others. “Ebem Ohafia, hosts a lot of critical federal establishments, including a military base – Goodluck Jonathan Barrack, 14 Brigade and as well as the 145 Battalion of the Nigeria Army (NA) – known generally as the third-largest military base in Nigeria. This disaster is beyond the people, their traditional or paramount ruler and requires mitigative action/control to address what would be a future menace.
“FENRAD by this release also reaches out to Abia State Government under His Excellency Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, PhD; the state Emergency Management Agency, SEMA; members representing Ohafia North and South state constituencies; members representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Honourable Uko Nkole; Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, MON, representing Abia North and other stakeholders in the polity to see to the end of this ugly threat even if it requires leveraging the ecological fund. “FENRAD believes intervention is better than condolences and prayers, the Foundation raises its voice in this SOS call on the relevant authorities saying: “Come over to Ebem and help us!” the statement read. Ebem
Ohafia community cries out
On their part, the people of Ebem Ohafia appealed to the state and federal governments to urgently take steps to find a solution to the devastating erosion which is already too close to the palace of the paramount Ruler, Eze Ukoha. The people said they were overwhelmed by the development, having exhausted their resources to ensure it was brought under control but to no avail. Speaking on the development, the President General of Ebem Ohafia Development Union, EODU, Mr Emeka Mba, said erosion sites in the community were too many, urging the intervention of Federal Ministries of Works, Environment and other relevant authorities. He said the challenge has overwhelmed the limited financial resources of the people, stating that if urgent steps were not taken to address the challenge, the people of Ebem would most likely, be wiped out of existence in the coming year.
