Enugu- The Enugu State Government has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently intervene in the erosion threatening Enugu-Ngwo community, near Enugu metropolis.
Making the call while inspecting the erosion site on Saturday, the state’s Commissioner for Environment, Mr Fidel Ayogu, told newsmen that the gravity of the problem was enormous for the state government to handle alone.
Ayogu said that the appeal had become necessary as the menace was severely threatening 14 homes in the community.
“We are at the site on the instruction of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to take a comprehensive survey of the erosion site for urgent palliative intervention since the menace had been in existence prior to the inception of the present administration.
“The incident requires the intervention of the Federal Government through the ecological fund or other related interventions for adequate control and management.
“The huge amount of money required to tackle the problem is not within the resources of the state government,’’ he said.
He, however, sympathized with the people of the community on the ugly development, and assured them that the government would do all that would be required to ensure that the problem was tackled “for safety of lives and property’’.
Speaking, the Chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area, Mr Isaac Igwe, said that the enormity of the threat posed by the erosion was not something the local and state governments could handle alone.
“I am also joining to appeal to the Federal Government to come to the rescue of the people of the community,’’ Igwe said.
He lauded the prompt response of the governor in sending his commissioner and other top government functionaries to the site for proper evaluation of the menace.
On his part, Chairman of Enugu-Ngwo community, Chief Chris Ejike-Agu, said that the erosion started over 15 years ago and expressed confident that the present governor of the state would rescue them.