Anambra Community Rally Against Collapsed Building, Demand Govt Help Amid Flood Threats

By Praise Chinecherem

Residents of Vision World Estate, at Uruokokwu Umuogali Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State on Tuesday protested collapse of a building in the area following devastating effect of erosion menace in the area.

The protesters who raised the alarm over 20 other structures on the verge of collapse, appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to come to their rescue.

According to them, the erosion menace occasioned by flood was caused by shoddy work done by the contractor who rehabilitated the damaged portion of the Onitsha/Owerri road and channeled the flood to their estate.

Some of the protesting residents carried placards with the inscriptions , “Gov. Soludo Solution come to our rescue, Vision World estate Oba needs Solution, Soludo we need your attention here, Save Our Soul”, among others.

The residents had earlier written a petition to the governor through the LG Chairman, Mrs Iyom. Amaka Obi, signed by their Chairman, Mr Joseph Mbanaso and Secretary, Jude Obowo,

The petition made available to reporters was titled, “Re: protracted flooding, erosion, threat to lives and properties worth billions of naira at Uruokokwu Umuogali Oba, Anambra State – A passionate appeal for emergency government intervention”.

The petition read in part thus: “We commend and support Your Excellency’s efforts at repositioning of Anambra State in the scheme of affairs in Nigeria. We also support wholeheartedly Your Excellency’s re-election for another deserved term.

“We, the residents of Vision World Estate, Uruokokwu Umuogali Oba, wish to draw Your Excellency’s attention to the pitiable condition that we now reside under since your last intervention.

“Some weeks ago, a house was washed away by the erosion and expanding gully but by divine grace, no life was lost. The ever growing erosion and attendant expanding gully if left unabated threatens existential lives and properties with over 20 houses standing to be consumed upon any severe downpour.

“While we acknowledge and appreciate your last visit despite your busy schedules to Uruokokwu Umuogali, Oba, and the remedial effort Your Excellency promised and put in place in same, cannot be said of the shoddy job done by the contractor whose efforts to control the erosion and ever expanding gully has been washed away due to use of substandard materials and lack of technical knowhow.

“As at date, we have expended over N50million over the years and in recent efforts to nip this crisis in the bud proved abortive.and we thus call on you Sir to extend the “Soludo Solution” to salvage these lives and properties being threatened by the erosion menace.

“We anticipate a quick and favourable response to this our humble plea as we are aware that Your Excellency will not allow lives and billions of naira we spent to be swept away in one fell swoop of a monstrous rainfall”.

In his own reaction one of the residents, Mr Mbanaso pleaded to Governor Soludo, to come to their rescue stating that Soludo led government is their only hope since they have tried a lot on their capacity but to no avail.

He lamented that they now sleep with their eyes open to know when the fences of their buildings would collapse as the gully is almost on their perimetre fence.

According to him” Soludo is a solution and since he became the governor, there is much difference in the state today. Vision world is thanking him and we are pleading to him to extend his solution to our estate. This coming election is undisputable because he is not disputing with anybody”.

He also disclosed that the voting strength of the voters in the area is over 1000 and also thanked him for the one he would do for the estate.

Another resident, Mrs Gloria Okafor, recalled that the gully erosion started with the construction company that worked Onitsha -Owerri road expressway.

She said “They excavated the soil there thereby creating valley and channeled the flood into the valley. The gully started when the mini gutter they built collapsed, so water started wedding porous soil all around the collapsed gutter hence the gully started.

“Huge flood from Oba, new Oba Road, market and partly Old Oba Road move into this gully. My husband when he was alive told the two different contractors that the gutter they constructed wouldn’t be effective because of the volume of water that passes through it but they neglected him.

“We therefore call to our Solution governor Soludo to urgently come to our aid otherwise any heavy rainfall from now more houses will cave in” She cried.

Mr Sabastine Ibeagwa, elderly state man and Mrs Lilian Chukwuemeka also called on the government for quick response on the gully which has pulled down houses and a factory within the area, adding that it would stop if a drainage is well constructed and channeled from that area to Mmiri Ose Idemili.