The spate of erosion sites in Abia State has prompted the state Governor, Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu, to solicited assistance from the World Bank to help curb the menace. The governor solicited the help of the World Bank when he received a delegation from the bank and Federal Government of Nigeria Newmap team which called on him. He revealed that the state could no longer rely on itself to handle the over 1,200 erosion sites alone.
Governor Ikpeazu said that erosion posed a serious threat to the state and as such, urgent action was needed to save it from impending disasters as the rainy season has set in. He empasized that the urgent need for concerted efforts and proactive measures to be made so to stop the looming danger and save the state from what is already a bad situation.
He called for a quick solution to the annual flooding of the state’s commercial hub, Ndiegoro, Aba, which he termed as a disaster area. He reiterated the willingness and preparedness of the state government to partner with World Bank, FGN Newmap team in combating the challenges of erosion the state faced.
Dr. Amos Abu, the leader of the task team explained that the initiative was a joint project between affected states, who were implementing the Nigeria erosion and watershed management initiative of which Abia was a pioneer state, the World Bank and the Federal Government. He said efforts were being intensified to reduce the vulnerability of the people to erosion.
He appealed to the state to immediately pay its counterpart funding to the team as well as selecting the most vulnerable sites for immediate action. He said that as long as the government was cooperative, the team was willing to tackle the erosion in the state.
