Residents of Umusiome Community in Nkpor, Idemili North Local Government Area, have appealed to the Anambra State Government to urgently intervene in the persistent flooding and gully erosion threatening lives, property and critical infrastructure in the area.
The residents invited the Commissioner for Works, Architect Okey Ezeobi, and the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Clem Aguiyi, to inspect the flood-ravaged Ogbeudo Road and the gully erosion site within the Government Technical College (GTC), Nkpor.
Speaking during the inspection, the Chairman of Umusiome Central Landlords Association, Chief Daniel Alaneme, the Chairman of the Inspection Organising Committee, Mr. Remy Ozoemena Nwachi, and the President-General of Nkpor, Chief Godwin Amadike, appealed to the commissioners to facilitate urgent intervention to control the erosion and reconstruct the Ogbeudo–GTC–Ogidi road network.
They explained that residents and landlords had spent millions of naira through self-help efforts to control the floodwaters flowing from Ogbeudo Road towards Ogidi and Abatete. Despite these efforts, they said the roads had deteriorated beyond what the community could manage, making them almost impassable for motorists and pedestrians.
Responding, Commissioner for Works, Arc. Okey Ezeobi, assured the community that Governor Chukwuma Soludo had already approved the area for intervention under the first phase of the state’s road projects. He added that the Ogbeudo Road would be considered among roads slated for reconstruction.
The commissioner, however, expressed concern over low tax compliance among residents, particularly traders, stressing that sustainable infrastructure development depends on adequate revenue generation.
He noted that many traders operating businesses worth millions of naira pay as little as ₦35,000 annually in taxes, describing the situation as inadequate to support the execution of multi-billion naira infrastructure projects. He disclosed plans to engage the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) and convene a meeting with landlords and tenants in Nkpor to promote tax compliance.
Also speaking, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Clem Aguiyi, condemned the indiscriminate dumping of refuse along the erosion-prone Ogbeudo Road, warning that the practice worsens flooding by blocking drainage channels and forcing floodwaters to create destructive alternative paths.
Aguiyi urged residents who pay waste management levies to hold their local government authorities and waste contractors accountable for proper refuse disposal, rather than dumping waste into drains.
Both commissioners further directed communities to identify and remove structures erected along natural waterways, warning that such obstructions contribute significantly to flooding and erosion.
Angel Network News (ANN) reports that
the inspection concluded with a peaceful demonstration by students of Government Technical College, Nkpor, who appealed to the state government to urgently protect their school from the advancing gully erosion that has already destroyed sections of the school’s perimeter fence and now threatens classrooms, teachers and students.
