By Uzo Ugwunze
Residents of Umusiome Community, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area have appealed to Anambra State Government to rescue them over the menace of flood which has caused several gully erosion threatening their lives and property.
They invited the Anambra State Commissioner for Works, Arc Okey Ezeobi and his counterpart in the Ministry of Environment, Dr Clem Aguiyi Esq to inspect the flood ravaged Ogbeudo road and the gully erosion site within the Government Technical College,GTC compound, Nkpor.
The trio of Chairman Umusiome Central Landlords Association Chief Sir Daniel Alaneme, Organizing Committee Chairman for the Inspection, Remy Ozoemena Nwachi and the President General Nkpor, Chief Godwin Amadike pleaded with the Commissioners to use their good office to checkmate the flooding/erosion site and reconstruct the Ogbeudo/GTC/ Ogidi roads.
According to them, the Umusiome residents and Landlords within the area had invested millions of naira through selfhelp trying to control the flood current coming down the Ogbeudo road which leads to Ogidi and Abatete but the roads have deteriorated beyond their reach thereby making the roads impassable for vehicles and pedestrians.
While inspecting the erosion sites on July 9,2026, Arc Okey Ezeobi assured the residents that His Excellency Prof Chukwuma Soludo via the State Executive Council SEC has captured the area for intervention in his phase 1 project adding that he would ensure that the Ogbeudo road would be part of roads for reconstruction.
However, Arc Ezeobi lamented that some Anambrarians who are 95 percent traders evade taxes while those who pay underpay.” You can imagine where a trader who is controlling millions of naira in his business pay only 35000 naira annually as tav, yet they expect government to embark on multi billion naira projects for their community.
“I will invite Anambra State Inland Revenue Service AIRS Executive Director and we shall have a meeting with all the landlords and tenants in Nkpor to ensure they are tax compliant. Oluatuegwu is ready to judiciously use taxpayers money to provide a livable and prosperous environment for Ndi Anambra.,” said Ezeobi.
Moreso, Dr. Clem Aguiyi frowned at the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on the erosion affected Ogbeudo road in the bid to checkmate flooding saying that it was causing more harm than good to the already bad situation.
Aguiyi mandated Ndi Anambra who pay their waste management Levy to hold the Local Government Chairmen and their contractors responsible for waste disposal because depositing refuse in drainages block flood channels which make water to find alternative channels thereby eroding soil surfaces, damaging roads built by government.
The two commissioners also mandated communities to find out buildings built along natural rain flood ways which causes unnecessary flooding and erosion saying that such buildings must be unplugged to allow free flow of flooding caused by rainfall.
Highlight of the inspection was a peaceful demonstration by the students of GTC Nkpor urging the State Government to save their school buildings and school children and teachers from being swept away by flood which has destroyed their fence causing a massive gully erosion around the school premises.
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