ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Anambra State Government has called on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the United Nations to assist the them in tackling some natural disasters rocking the state.
The Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, made the appeal when he led the United Nations delegation to on-the-spot assessment of Oko erosion sites and the recent landslide which saw many buildings and economic trees cave-in some weeks ago.
Ibezim appealed to the international community, Federal Government and indigenes of the area to do all they could to assist the state to mitigate environmental challenges threatening it.
According to him, the challenges are gully erosion, landslide and the recent flooding in parts of state.
He noted that a combination of factors, including but not limited to, climate change, human activities and natural causes are some of the identifiable factors responsible for the devastation.
The Deputy Governor therefore warned that human activities like sand excavation, improper channeling of storm water would no longer be tolerated in the affected areas.
Also, the Anambra State Erosion, Watershed & Climate Change Agency Project Coordinator/MD, Prof. Philip Phil-Eze, raised the alarm about the landslide at Oko on Thursday, 19 October, 2022.
This prompted the State Government to take proactive action, by visiting the site.
Later at Ogbaru, the Deputy Governor explained that the Governor Chukwuma Soludo was touched by the sufferings of Ndi Anambra hence, he ordered for the assessment tour.
He stated this while guiding the United Nations team led by its Residents Humanitarian Coordinator to Nigeria, Mr. Matthias Schmale, to holding centers for flood victims, farm lands and flood damaged culvert.
He assured that the Government, as part of post-flood rehabilitation exercise, would ensure that palliative measures were deployed to rehabilitate roads in the area; he also said that the victims, who would soon return to their homes, would be properly resettled.
Ikengaonline