The President General of the Igbo Community Association FCT, Engr. (Nze) Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe, has issued an urgent appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene decisively in addressing the catastrophic gully erosion currently ravaging communities across the South East region of Nigeria.
Speaking following an emergency stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja where the erosion menace took front burner, Nze Ellis-Ezenekwe – who leads the apex socio-cultural organisation representing over two million Igbos residing in the Federal Capital Territory – expressed deep concern over the escalating destruction of lives, homes, and livelihoods.
Highlighting the gravity of the situation, the President General pointed to Nanka, a prominent community in the Southern Senatorial District of Anambra State, where advancing gullies continue to displace families and render citizens refugees in their ancestral land.
“Many families, including vulnerable children and the elderly, are currently facing imminent displacement as their ancestral homes are threatened daily,” Ellis-Ezenekwe stated.
“They need their hopes renewed, and they need the Federal Government of Nigeria to come to their rescue immediately.”
Addressing the capacity of state governments to handle the disaster, the Igbo leader acknowledged that the scale of gully erosion remediation is beyond the financial and technical capabilities of the five South East state governors.
“The state governors can only proffer prophylactic solutions given their resource limitations. This is a capital-intensive environmental ecological disaster that falls within the powers and constitutional responsibilities of the Federal Government,” he noted.
To achieve a permanent and lasting solution, the Igbo Community Association FCT outlines the following key calls to action for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu:
Empowerment of the SEDC : Fully empower and adequately fund the newly established South East Development Commission (SEDC) to systematically tackle and remediate gully erosion across affected states.
High-Powered Presidential Committee: Alternatively, inaugurate a high-powered presidential committee tasked with evaluating the full extent of the damage and executing a permanent remediation masterplan.
International Collaboration: Leverage the President’s diplomatic influence – both as President of Nigeria and Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government – to seek international assistance, technical expertise, and development funding to combat the ecological crisis.
The association stressed that immediate federal intervention is crucial to saving remaining communities from complete washouts and restoring hope to thousands of affected Nigerians.
SIGNED:
Engr. (Nze) Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe
President General, Igbo Community Association FCT
Mazi Chinwoke Emmanuel Onah
Secretary General, Igbo Community Association FCT
Media Contact: 0913 786 1844
