By Ononye VC
A distress call is being made to the Governor of Anambra State,Professor Charles Soludo by the Parish Priest and entire parishioners of St Valerian Catholic Church,Akpaka,Onitsha,for urgent rescue of the parish from erosion menace.
Members of the Justice, Development,Peace and Caritas (JDPC)led by Mr Boniface Okpala-Nwude had last Saturday(June 15,2024)mobilised the entire parishioners which included priests,the Religious and lay faithful for a rally to sensitize the state government,law makers and the general public on the serious erosion threat to the parish.
Some of them displayed placards which read,”Save our Souls”.”God Bless You Mr Governor for your good works”.”St Valerian Catholic Church Akpaka under erosion threat,help us sir”. “Erosion menace threatens our church and school”.”Governor Soludo,you are our last hope”,among other write-ups.
Already, the main church building,the St Valerian school complex and other adjoining buildings including the Rev father’s residence are on the brink of sliding into the wide gully.
Reacting to the development,the Parish Priest,Very Rev Fr Victor Ezeanya said the situation has become an emergency and a desperate one warranting a distress call to the state government after the parish had done all it could to hold back the erosion.
He pointed out that with the speed of the erosion,it may not be long the entire parish would be lost to the erosion.
He appealed to the governor to visit the site himself to be able to appreciate the situation.
Also in his reaction,the chairman of St Valerian Schools Management Board,Dr (Sir) Fred Osakwe,lamented that the Parish has spent all it’s resources with contributions of parishioners who he pointed out have been overstretched in fighting the erosion to no avail.
Sir Osakwe expressed that lives of the school children were exposed to danger and called for urgent steps to checkmate the fully erosion.
An engineer and member of the parish who spoke under the condition of anonymity,suggested that the government can reclaim the vast gully erosion site if it acts quickly.
