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Jubilee Photographer

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IGBERE EROSION REMEDIATION PROJECTS IN IGBERE, BENDE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, ABIA STATE

Erosion repair at the road to Amankalu

Erosion repair by Igbere communityErosion repair near Roman

Major Erosion and the Bridge at Okparanu
Almost forgoton bridge at Okparanu,a major erosion challenge

The attention of the Igbere Welfare Union (IWU) has been drawn to the claim being promoted by some persons that the Abia State Government carried out the erosion control project on the Amaofufe - Amankalu road, in Igbere Clan. This is patently false.

When the erosion sites became obvious, Ndi Igbere duly notified the Abia State Government.  Its Commissioner for Environment visited the several sites, including the Amaofufe-Amankalu road erosion that had cut off parts of the Clan from others. When nothing else was forthcoming from the Government and the problems worsened, Igbere sons and daughters could no longer wait for their homes to be gulped by erosion.  During the December 2014 Ezumezu Igbere the people mobilised and raised over N25million to tackle erosion problems, pending when the Abia State Government might wake up to the imminent threat facing its citizens.

Whoever is behind the claim that ABSG is reclaiming the Amaofufe - Amankalu erosion site should desist from such spurious claims.  The work is being undertaken by Igbere Welfare Union, through a Committee led by Elder E. Ekeoma. 

It is a fact that the Abia State Government in mid March 2015 showed amateur presence only at the Onu Ibina erosion site and since then nothing concrete has been done.  The gully continues to widen with each rain fall.   The heap of sand dumped at the site apparently by agents of the State administration and the project board have been swept into the gully by erosion flood.  As we write, it is the Ibina community and IWU that have started serious action to reclaim the road.

It is the hope and prayer of the Igbere Welfare Union that the incoming administration, after May 29, 2015, will come to the aid of our Clan. We expect that then the Abia State Government will refund the erosion expenses to the IWU. We expect that serious problems such as the erosion menace facing any community in the State should not be used for propaganda purposes.

The IWU President-General, Prof. Michael Ijioma, with Elder Ekeoma, thanks all those who made huge donations to the erosion fund, and urges those deceived and discouraged from donating by the false claim about the role of Government to please reconsider.  There is much work yet to be done on several other erosion sites in the clan.

 

 

Prof. Michael A. Ijioma                                         Prof. Eme N. Ekekwe
President-General                                                  Secretary-General



REACTION
Add your voice send email or pictures to info@igbere.com

Our dear Prof.,

Thanks for remembering Nde Ibe Anya on this subject. No. Let me reword something before Okafia people scream "copyright!". I meant: Nde nonu ibe du anya. 

I join all Igbere people in expressing profound thanks to all of you who must have bent over backwards to resolve this major communal embarrassment. History will remember you kindly. God will reward you abundantly.

In my short lifetime, this is now the third time this Unity spot has seen major erosion-related repairs. The first was a bold sole effort of Justice Ikwechegh. The second was an equally bold, if somewhat quiet, one by Onyema Ubani and Ndukwe Uche. And now this one.

This begs the question: now that this worst case is behind us, what is our strategy for avoiding a forth repair? What is our strategy for nipping the next one in the bud, at the very least? Nde Nkuzi told me at the Onu Primary, and I still believe, that "Prevention is better than cure".

By the way, any chance you can share a photograph of the completed job with Nde nonu ibe anya? Not because they have to see to believe. Just so they can feel like they have been there too, and because the pictures of the broken road made it out here rather fast. 
In algebra, they would call it, Balancing the equation.

Regards,

Nd Uche

On Apr 26, 2015, at 2:44 PM, Emerike Ekekwe wrote:

Nde nwom nu, ndewo nu!

Unu biko lebatukwala anyan a nhe m keyi ra leta a.
IWU found it necessary to issue the attached to clarify issues about who is not doing what concerning the major erosion sites in Igbere.  What you read is our position and it represents the truth of the matter. While we handle local dissemination of that fact here, we feel that Igbere sons and daughters in the disapora ought to be fully in the picture too.

We are glad to report that the Amaofufe-Amankalu road is usable once more, and that the Onu erosion which looked particularly threatening last December appears effectively under check. None of this was achieved with any input from the Abia State Government; all has been the effort of IWU and Ibina Community.

 Do see how you can help us get the word out there because many of you have in one way or another been supporting our efforts.

N'chi jiela nguaa; ta m jee jaajua. Ya jie ngu nke unu, unua jaa jua.

Abum, ezi nke unu,

Eme N. Ekekwe, PhD
Professor of Political Science
Director, Claude Ake School of Government &
Claude Ake Chair of Political Economy
University of Port Harcourt
Port Harcourt
Nigeria
PHONE: +2348033362077
<IWU EROSION DISCLAIMER

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