By Steve Oko

Member representing Bende North state constituency in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Nnamdi Ibekwe, has called for a declaration of state of emergency on erosion menace ravaging the constituency.

The lawmaker made the call while addressing newsmen in Umuahia over the latest erosion incident that rendered many locals homeless at Umuenyere, Alayi Community in Bende Local Government Area.

He said that over five houses were washed away by the latest incident and farm lands and crops worth millions of Naira destroyed.

 “Many people now live as refugees in their ancestral community”, the lawmaker lamented.

Hon. Ibekwe said there are over 100 active erosion sites in the constituency alone with about 20 posing existential threat to the people.

He identified Umuenyere Alayi, Oluibina Igbere, Ezi Igbere, Amekpu Item and Okafia as the epicenters of the menace.

“Over five houses have been destroyed, farmlands the crops seriously affected; many people can no longer farm because their farm lands have been seriously ravaged”, he added.

“It’s an emergency situation because when people can no longer access their homes built with their life savings, it’s a disaster”.

He also called on the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, and its state counterpart to quickly send relief materials to the affected constituents to help cushion the effects of the disaster.

He noted that he had initiated steps to ameliorate the sufferings of the victims but pleaded for the intervention of both the state and federal governments.

The lawmaker who said he would in the coming days embark on sensitisation of all schools in Bende North to educate students and pupils on the dangers erosion and some of the preventive and corrective measures to mitigate the impacts.

He further challenged the Nigerian Government to explore ways like the Netherland to convert erosion challenges into opportunities of revenue for the country.

According to him, Netherland in the 80s, was ravaged by natural disasters but it took up the challenge and today produces  global expert in Marine engineering and flood technologies.

“The same way, Nigeria can become exporters of experts in erosion control if we rise up to the challenge as a country”.