Anambra landslide: Umeh defies sit-at-home, inspects sites, calls for erosion map

By Tony Okafor, Awka

The Senator representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh,on Friday defied the security threat in the state occasioned by the sit-at-home order called by a factional group of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to inspect the landslide site at Oba in the Idemili South Local Area of the state.

Describing the South-East, especially Anambra State, as the erosion capital of Nigeria, Umeh called for an erosion map of the geopolitical zone.

Stating the importance of the Onitsha-Owerri road, where the landslide occured, the Senator asked the Federal Government, to commence and emergency work on the site.

He said if the landslide was not checkmated it would cut off the remaining part of the road thereby encumbering move to about six states of Imo, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Rivers State and Cross Rivers State.
He promised to personally present a wholistic report on the Anambra landslide to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, for onward transmission to the Federal Government.

He said, “What we are seeing here is an emergency that the federal government should intervene in.

“This part of the road has been totally cut off, and you can see that the only part of the road that is now being used is also threatened.

“This is beyond the control of the state government. So there is need for the federal government to step in. The other lane will not survive another two weeks from what we are seeing here.

“This is a very critical road, which links people from Lagos and other South-Western part of the country into South -East and South-South. Second Niger Bridge is just over there

“I came into Anambra last night, and decided to come and see this for myself today. I will take this back to the Senate, and we will let the Senate president to also know that his people also use this road, and we are sure that the Senate president, His Excellency, Senator Dr Godswill Akpabio for him to see by himself and we see how the National Assembly can intervene, at least on this section.

“If this road fails, nobody from the South South and parts of the South-East will be able to go to Lagos any more. This is a very critical road, and we hope that the Federal Government will intervene.