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| Erosion scene near Government House Uyo (Photo: Etim Ekpimah) |
By Etim Ekpimah
AKWA
Ibom State residents, particularly those from Uyo, Itu, and the Oron local
government areas have called on the state government to address the problems of
erosion in the areas.
They
mentioned, particularly, Science Park Road, which links Calabar-Itu Road,
saying erosion had made the road impassable. According to them, erosion has
also damaged a section of Calabar-Itu Road.
A
resident of Atai Nung Itam in Itu Local Government Area of the state, Mr. Moses
Akpan, appealed to the incoming administration to declare a state of emergency
on erosion in Uyo, Itu, and Oron.
Describing
Uyo as a tableland, Akpan pointed out that it would be difficult for government
to control erosion except serious steps were taken to curb the menace.
He
said a construction company, Nigerpest, had started work on the Science Park
Road, but added that the project had been abandoned.
Akpan
appealed to the Akwa Ibom State Government to encourage the company to go back
to work to prevent the points affected by gully erosion from total collapse.
“Nigerpest
has started working on the area, though the project appears to have been
abandoned. We have to encourage the company to come back to work. The truth of
the matter is that Uyo is a tableland.
“The
only thing the government can do is to declare a state of emergency in the area
of erosion control in Uyo. That means the government has to embark on a serious
construction of drainage channels, including underground drains to control the
situation,” he said.
Similarly,
the University of Uyo is facing a 200-metre deep gully, which encroaches upon
the university from three angles. This situation appears to be a threat to the
existence of the institution.
The
gully has been said to be caving in at intervals in the past 20 years. It was
learnt that the gully had destroyed the first Uyo Township Stadium, and was
threatening the town campus.
The
rainy season will worsen the situation as the rate of expansion of the gully
has increased with sections caving in on weekly basis. The university Vice
Chancellor, Prof. Comfort Ekpo, had said that the university was at the cliff
of the gully, and the entire campus is at risk.
On
July 9, 2013, the Trunk A road in Oron, the only road that links Oron to Uyo,
Eket, and the rest of the state to other parts of the country, was completely
cut off as a result of the erosion.
The
President-General, Oron Union, Okon Okon, told our correspondent in Oron on Sunday
that many doing businesses in Oron had left for other towns within and outside
the state as the collapsed road had caused hardship to both businessmen and
residents.
Okon
stated that the Oron Trunk A Road was one of the earliest roads to be
constructed by colonial masters. He added that since the construction of the
road by the colonial masters, the Federal Government had not repaired or
upgraded the road, which was the only route to Calabar.
He
had said, “This is the only road that links Oron to other parts of the state
and the rest of Nigeria. It was the major route to Calabar, Cameroun, Gabon,
and other republics.
“I
was there when the road collapsed. Our only means of accessing other places in
Nigeria has been cut off. The development has necessitated increase in
transport fare as transporters charge commuters almost triple the amount they
used to pay.
“Transporters
can only access the other parts of the road through another community. Oron now
is like a ghost town. People have left the place for other places within and
outside the state as life has become unbearable.”
Culled from The Punch
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