By Jude Michael
The Anambra State Government has visited the failed portion of the Onitsha-Owerri Expressway, which was recently cut off by erosion.
A team from the state government, consisting of the Chief of Staff to Governor Soludo, Mr. Ernest Ezeajughi; Commissioners for Works, Engr. Ifeanyi Okoma; Environment, Mr. Felix Odimegwu, and Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr. Christian Aburime, who were at the site, begged the federal government for intervention.
Ezeajughi during his visit, lamented that there were over 1,000 active erosion sites in Anambra State alone, stressing the urgent need to tackle the Onitsha-Owerri Road erosion as movement of goods and persons would be stalled once the other part of the road caved in.
He said: ‘We have over 1,000 active erosion sites in Anambra State. This is just one of them. We are acting on emergency.
‘Because this Onitsha-Owerri Road by Oba Erosion wash-off is a major devastation, we are not waiting for the federal government, even though it is their responsibility.
‘The people bearing the hardship are Ndị Anambra, as such, the Anambra State Government has embarked on an intervention to arrest the situation before other measures.’
The Commissioner for Works, Mr Okoma, said they were in talks with the Federal Ministry of Works and the Federal Road Maintenance Agency, FERMA, who, he said, were already on it; even as he noted that it would be a long process.
‘We don’t have an option, we moved a contractor that will continue with the second objective which is to stop further mudslides,’ Okoma said.
