On January 31st 2018, I visited a place called Umuogele. It is a village in Umuakwu Nsulu (Akwuanunu) Community in Isiala Ngwa North LGA.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu had instructed that I go there to see first hand, the level of damage done by gulley erosion there, as a prelude to the commencement of rehabilitation works there.
What I saw that day shocked me. Erosion had eaten practically the only access road in the village. People had lost their homes to the devastating effects of the scourge of erosion. It was a disturbing sight indeed. I spoke to the villagers and all I heard were tales of woe and hopelessness. They had given up. Some of them had relocated. Their sons who lived outside the village no longer come back.
They had also lost lives there. Many lives. People who accidentally fell into the gullies and died before help could come. I spoke to a woman who was lucky to survive after falling into the gulley but she broke her leg and was bedridden for months.
The people of Umuogele have lived with this situation since 1983. Successive governments made promises but none was fulfilled. They lost faith in government and resigned to fate, waiting for the worst to happen.
Ikpeazu made them a fresh promise. It wasn’t just a promise, it was solemn commitment to give them their lives back.
This project is one of those being executed under the World Bank Assisted NEWMAP SCHEME.
Recall that the World Bank had closed shop and left Abia some years ago. It took sustained engagements at the highest levels and deft economic diplomatic moves by Ikpeazu to get the World Bank back to the state.
He approved the payment of counterpart funds to activate the NEWMAP projects.
Two months after the project was flagged off, today, I returned to Umuogele to see things for myself. I almost didn’t recognize the place again. The deep bullies had disappeared and total remediation concluded. Earth works on the entire stretch of the road had been concluded while drainage works have started and moving in earnest.
According to the contractor, the road will have drainages on both sides, after which the stone base aspect of the work will commence. After this is done, asphalting will follow to round up the civil works. The project will then be completed with the planting of vegetation along the stretch of the road to help strengthen the soil which had become heavily compromised over the years on account of excessive denudation.
I was startled. I spoke to the villagers who were even more startled. For them, it’s an unbelievable transformation happening right before their eyes. Their homes have been salvaged. Ikpeazu has given them their lives back just as he promised.
They were full of praises and prayers for the Governor. For them, Ikpeazu has restored their faith in government. After almost 40 years of struggle against the forces of nature, help has come.
I asked them if they will vote for Ikpeazu in 2019 and they all laughed and asked me to tell the Governor not to bother coming to them for campaign as this project has done the job for him.
© Onyebuchi Ememanka